Deleted HSM Scenes
by general wildcat
Summary: You've seen HSM over and over again, but did you ever wonder what was going on with Chad and Taylor throughout the whole movie? See it all through their eyes from their first appearance. C&T all the way, you know that's how it'll end!
1. First Day Back

Ok so here it is, the first chapter! You wanna know what's going on during the first HSM with Taylor and Chad, well now you can see! You'll see what they're thinking and how one thing leads to another with them. You know it'll start out slow before things start to heat up with them. So anyway, everything will be told in first person so you can see both of their point of views about certain situations and -cough cough- each other -cough couch-. So if you're not liking the first person or I do better with third person than first person (XD) then I'll switch the point of views and change it all to third person but still only make it so we can hear each of their thoughts. That makes sense, right? Ok, so anyway I'm stuck in school this week unlike most people and I'm also working Thursday right after school till five so that means possibly less updates this week or so. I know I'm gonna be packed with homework, especially in my writing and economics classes so in case you wait a while for updates, you'll know why (that is, if you don't get bored by reading my long, boring a/n's). XDDD Ok so I will be quiet now and move on with chapter one!  
And you do know that I don't own HSM, right? Good.

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**Chapter One: First Day Back (After "Start of Something New")**

Aw man how sweet can things get? We just started junior year so you know us Wildcats are at the top of our game. And we'll be even more over the top come next year. It's a new year and everything. I gotta say, I spent it pretty much relaxing and preppin up for the championship game. Ok, so I went on vacation with my folks to Canada for the holiday break, but I still did a lot of stuff up there. I'm talkin sleeping, basketball, eating, basketball, girl watching…did I mention basketball? I was showin off the mad skills I picked up over the break to some of my teammates and those hot cheerleaders. Oh man, they look like they could use some lovin from the Chadmiester later if you know what I'm sayin. I stopped dribbling my basketball as I saw my best bud sine preschool, Troy Bolton, come off the bus. I automatically shot him with questions about his trip and asking if he was ready for the big game and everything. And as soon as he said he was ready, I knew we were goin for the gold this year.

"In two weeks we're goin to the championships. And you're gonna lead us to infinity and beyond!" I declared, handing him the ball. "Now what team?" I yelled.

Everyone around us automatically responded just as loud, "Wildcats!"

"What team?" I asked again, unable to contain the excitement.

"Wildcats!" they repeated.

We all cheered as we headed in. It felt weird to be back in school after two weeks. But what can I say? It was the perfect break from school, Darbus, and the nerd patrol. Darbus as in our homeroom drama teacher. And let me tell you, when that teacher teaches drama she really teaches it. I jumped back with the rest of the team as the mountain lion, a.k.a., Sharpay Evans, pushed her way through the crowd with her sidekick of a brother Ryan.

"Ice Princess has returned from the snowy north." Zeke Baylor observed.

I noticed his tone sounded joking, but not as harsh as we usually were with people we considered our enemies. And with the way Sharpay pretty much acted like she ruled the school and thought she was so much better than the basketball team, I'd say she was one of our top public enemies. So I turned everything around and made a harmless joke into a real one.

"Hey you know where she spends her holidays, right? Shopping for mirrors!"

I burst out laughing with the guys as we continued down the hall in our little posse. As we walked, I could see _her_ from the corner of my eye. Yup, speak of the nerd patrol that I mentioned earlier it had to be the head nerd herself, Taylor McKessie. She thinks she's so high and mighty just cause she's like the smartest girl in school. Ok, so maybe she is the smartest girl in school, but that doesn't mean she has to put herself on a pedestal. But let me tell you a little somethin, just between you and me. She's a pretty fine lookin girl. Perfect curvy body, lively brown eyes, long wavy black hair, and some classy style. And if it weren't for her sass and complex vocabulary, not to mention the separation of us cliques, I'd almost consider asking her out. But that's just us.

So now here I am in homeroom bored outta my mind as Darbus walks in and breaks up our little conversation about vacation and basketball. She starts yakkin about announcements or whatever else she's yakkin about. I more or less started turning her out. I blew some hair out of my face loudly, making my curls fly up a bit. Hey, not my fault I was blessed with such unique and noticeable hair. Unfortunately for me, Darbus caught on my boredom.

"Mr. Danforth, this is a place of learning. Not a hockey arena." She projected her voice.

I rolled my eyes and put my basketball on my lap after removing it from the top of my desk. I watch her walk away slowly and then notice that Troy keeps looking towards the back. No way. He couldn't be watching our drama teacher, could he? She must've been like ninety-five for all we know! Not to mention there's absolutely nothing interested about drama. He has to be lookin at somethin else. I turn my head around briefly but all I see behind me, other than Darbus circling the room reading the announcements, is McKessie in the seat behind me, who was actually listening. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Troy He wasn't watching _her_, was he? There was just no way! I would totally kill him…. I mean, be totally worried for the guy.

"Hey, you ok?" I whispered quietly, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah." He whispered back with a nod.

I believed him for now, but he still seemed out of it. I look back once more but I still see nothing. I gotta say, somethin's not right with this boy sometimes. I got my suspicions. Anyway, Darbus continues her announcements and I'm awake now, so I barely start paying attention. I heard her talk about the Scholastic thingy and if people wanted to sign up. I smiled as Taylor raised her hand, helping Darbus show that she was president of that club. What was so great about it, anyway. Just a smarty-pants competition between the smartest kids in schools. Not like it's ever mean anything. But then I snapped out of my thoughts about Taylor – I mean thinking about what those competitions must be like – when I hear a phone ring.

"Ah, the cell phone menace has returned." Darbus announced. She automatically walked over to Sharpay and Ryan, seeing as how they had their phones out. "Sharpay and Ryan, cell phones and I will see you in detention." I smirked as the twins put their phones in her old paint can. Someone was in trouble! But Ms. Darbus continued around the room, going to some new girl in the back row. Well, I think she was new since I never saw her before. Then again, when you're a top notch basketball player like me you don't need to know everyone. But it looked like the girl was in trouble, too, cause I heard Darbus say, "We have zero tolerance for cell phones here Ms. Montez. So hand over your cell phone and I will see you in detention." But trust me, she wasn't finished yet. "Mr. Bolton, I see your phone is involved so hand it over and you will be in detention as well."

Troy put his phone in the can, like the other three had, but I wasn't gonna let him get stuck with detention. So I, being the loyal best friend that I am, speak on Troy's behalf. "That's not a possibility Ms. Darbus, your honor. See cause, we have basketball practice and Troy-"

And wouldn't you know it? She has to cut me off even before I can finish my argument. "That will be fifteen minutes for you, too, Mr. Danforth. Count them!"

I gasped as my face fell. There was no way she just gave _me_ detention, did she? I mean, I've gotten my share of trouble and detentions, but this was the first day back! Cut a guy some slack, would ya?

But no slack was cut today. I could hear McKessie from behind me. "That could be tough for Chad since he probably can't count that high."

My eyes widened at her comment. And I heard snickering. They didn't really see me as like, dumb or something, did they? This was ridiculous. Did she seriously just insult me? When we weren't even standing face to face exchanging insults?

But I had to smirk when I saw not even she was off the hook. "Ms. McKessie, fifteen minutes!"

I had to turn around to see the look on her face. Little Miss School Genius ain't such a teacher's pet anymore is she? Oh man, look at her face! The expression is priceless! Her mouth is open and everything. And her big brown eyes are so wide I swear, she's not even blinking cause of the shock wave! But that's what she gets for mocking one of East High's best basketball players. And if we weren't sworn life long enemies I would almost say that McKessie was lookin…well, cute.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

I stepped into East High quite casually, holding my head up high for specific expectations for the new year. I couldn't help it; I had such a powerful feelings that things were going to change for the better. Really, the feeling was that strong. After losing competitions in the Scholastic Decathlon for so long I really believed that something would turn it all around this year. And as head of the academic club, I had to keep my team's spirits up. Speaking of my team, there they were looking at the bulletin board for new announcements. I straightened my look and walked over to greet them.

"Happy new year, everyone." I greeted with a smile.

Martha Cox turned to me, seeming just as happy. "Hey Taylor. How was the new year?"

"Same as usual." I merely shrugged. "Nothing more than watching the ball drop and catching up on some extra credit." Hey, I couldn't help it. I had almost no homework to do so it was the perfect change to earn a ninety-nine instead of a ninety-eight for the class. No…that doesn't mean I don't have a life. I mean, I do have a life. I just have my own ideas of spending it. And that includes not attending crazy parties or going out of town or the country except to visit family.

We started exchanging conversation, just us "nerds" as we were called. But we weren't ones to let labels affect us or our schoolwork. We knew that there was much more important things than cliques. And talking about solving complex chemical equations was far better than exchanging insults with certain people. And speak of the devil himself, there he was passing by with his little group of cheerleaders and basketball buddies. I personally call them lunkhead basketball boys, but that's just me. And it happens to be true. It's been that way since sixth grade, so why go changing everything now? Besides, they were not a part of my plan for a better year.

I rolled my eyes as I watched that map top bounce away with the rest of its body and our peers following him. I pinned up a sheet of paper to the bulletin board as an announcement for the next Decathlon meeting as they left. "Behold the zoo animals heralding the new year." I observed to my friends. "How tribal."

The warning bell ring and I smiled at the group, seeing them off as we left for our respective homerooms. Hey, normally I'm in class before the warning bell but I had a good reason to be a few seconds later than I usually was. I mean, it was a new year and the first day back from vacation, not to mention I was technically posting a new announcement for my club. Wait, what are you thinking? No, that's not true! I didn't spend five extra minutes longer staring at Danforth's hair than I usually do. I mean, I do stare at it and can't help but wonder if it really is his hair or just some wig, but I never actually watch him. Please, that would make it seem like I had a crush on the lunkhead. And Taylor McKessie does _not_ get crushes!

Back to the current situation. I take my seat in Ms. Darbus' drama class, as my elective for homeroom. A variety of classes does look great on a college application, after all, and now that I'm a junior I have to start looking into everything. I make sure to listen carefully to her announcements, since there might be something important that I would have to put my full and complete attention onto. And luckily I was listening.

"The Scholastic Decathlon will have its first meeting this week. Chem Club president Taylor McKessie can answer any questions for you." Ms. Darbus announced.

I smiled and raised my hand for anyone who didn't know me or what the club was. Well…I'll admit, the Scholastic Decathlon wasn't exactly East High's prominent activity nor its most praised, but some people might still take interest and they had to know they had a reliable captain to turn to. I slowly placed my hand down and actually caught Chad watching me from the seat in front. Yes, Chad Danforth, who else? I couldn't believe it. What was his deal? Was he just waiting to shoot an insult and make a joke in front of the whole class? I mean, I knew he could stoop pretty low when it came to a good joke, but this would be a whole new low for him.

I shot him a look and gave him a taste of my McKessie Ice. In other words, a cold and stoic response. "What are you looking at?" I mouthed, not allowing him to get to me. I saw him shrug and turn back to the front of the room. That made things so much better. So now he's left me to stare at his hair. No, I mean observe. There's nothing overly interesting about his Afro anyway. So there I am, following one curl of his hair into another and seeing how they all intertwine. Even though from afar it appears so unkempt and knotty, up close it looked so tamed and relaxed. What was that boy doing to control such incredible hair? No, no! I was not just thinking that!

Luckily, Ms. Darbus pulled me back into reality. She demanded Sharpay's and Ryan's (also known as the Evans Twins or the Ice Princess and Captain Clueless) cell phones and told them they'd be in detention. I'd say it was pretty ironic, as they were co-presidents of the drama club and a pair of her best students. But Ms. Darbus didn't seem to stop there. I watched carefully as she took a cell phone from a girl in the back. Hm, that triggered my intrigue. Was she new? What was she like? Would she be a good fit for the Decathlon? This had to be something . I had to do some investigating and find out more. Maybe that was the good feeling I was getting about this year. Maybe she was the key to our success!

But then my head shot back to the front as Ms. Darbus took Troy Bolton's cell phone. And trust me, everyone knew Troy. From what I could tell, he was the leader of the lunkheads, but still a decent student. In other words, hardly any detentions. This time was different. The teacher gave him one right on the spot. And then I noticed Chad speak up.

"That's not even a possibility Ms Darbus, your honor. See cause, we have basketball practice and Troy-"

Aw, what a shame. He never got a chance to finish. "Mr. Danforth that will be fifteen minutes for you. Count them!" Ms. Darbus bellowed.

I merely shrugged at the outcome. What could I say? Chad deserved it. Granted, he was attempting to defend his best friend and do it for his team, but sadly for him it didn't work. Some people would just never learn.

"That could be tough for Chad since he probably can't count that high." I whispered to a couple of friends at the seats around me, mainly to my left. I intertwined my fingers with each other on top of my desk and continued sitting in the lady-like position that I was, figuring that even if I kept up my perfect student image then Ms. Darbus wouldn't even notice my little comment. Unfortunately, my prediction was wrong this time.

"Ms. McKessie, that will be fifteen minutes for you as well!" Ms. Darbus yelled.

I can't say that I blame her for yelling. As far as grades in the class went, I knew I was one of her best students, like in my other classes. So naturally she would be disappointed in me for saying such a thing or actually earning myself a detention. But I still couldn't help but drop my mouth in surprise. She couldn't really give me a detention, could she? I mean, I've never even gotten a detention in my life! I've been a perfect student my entire public education career! And now it's all over. Thanks to Chad Danforth, of all people! I couldn't believe it. And now he was even looking at me like he was enjoying my pain. Could he be any more cold-hearted?

"Now are there anymore questions?" Ms. Darbus demanded.

My expression changed into somewhat of a pout, hoping that she would catch my unasked question and change her mind about giving me a detention. After all, it was a little mistake. And Chad just happened to be asking for it. She couldn't put all of the blame for that on me, could she? But then I turned my head to the student behind me, another lunkhead player Jason Cross, as he raised his hand.

"So, how were your holidays Ms. Darbus?" he asked cheerfully.

The remainder of the class, including our teacher, looked at him like he said something stupider – no offense to him – than he usually does. I just shook my head and rubbed my forehead. Really, he had to be joking, right? And Ms. Darbus was the one who just insisted that holidays were way over. Could he not take a hint?

The bell rang, signaling the end of first period. I smiled as I gathered the books off of my desk and placed them into the rolling backpack beside my desk. I had to hurry if I wanted to get to my next class. After all, I had AP US History and I couldn't miss that. Or let Chad distract me from the work. Wait a minute…did I just call Danforth a distraction? No, of course he wasn't capturing my attention or anything of the sort. He just happened to be there, was all. Well, sort of. I mean, he was going in the same direction. But the advantage was on my end, since I did get the last word in before we walked out separately.

"Next time don't interfere with my perfect record." I warned him. "Just because you can handle being one of detention's most common members doesn't mean I'm about to join that club."

"Aw, and here I thought you were looking so forward to it." Chad replied with a smirk, tucking his precious basketball under his arm. "Besides McKessie, you were the one askin for it."

"And you're going to be the one asking to be sent to a private all boys boarding school come next fall if you keep this up." I retorted simply. "So have fun here while it lasts." I made my way out until I heard his voice, which had to throw me off guard.

"See you in detention."

I stopped in my tracks, freezing. Why did he sound so content about that? What was his angle? I mean, this is Chad Danforth we're talking about. Why would he say that to me? Unless he was just rubbing it in? And I was hoping that it was the case. After all, there was no way I'd ever associate out of school with the boy or exchange friendly comments with him. But I had to hurry and make one of my intelligent counters before he left the room.

"You wish."

At least I got the last word in this time as he left. And the last thing I saw of him, at least for now, was that playful, cute smirk on his face. No, scratch that. It wasn't cute. It was annoying. Because there is no way in an infinite amount of years that I would never admit Chad Danforth was actually cute.

And I just completely admitted to thinking that, didn't I?

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So what did you think? Now you know what's going on when the movie first starts, doncha? ^^ So each chapter will start at certain points, whether it's after songs or at certain points. I'll try and diagnose (is that even the right word choice?) those in the chapter titles but if not, then I'll write them down before the chapter starts or something. But not in the long a/n's for those of you who don't read them because they're boring and take up too much space. =P Oh c'mon, I can joke around can't I?


	2. After Basketball Practice

Ok so it's probably early to put up another chapter, right? Well I was doing economics homework before and talking to a friend online and thinking about all the homework I'm gonna be having this week I got pretty stressed. So this will be a part of the de-stressing process. I know I didn't get a ton of reviews on the first chapter yet (what, like two or three tops?) but after this chapter tonight I won't add anything until sometime tomorrow, which I won't know when yet cause I get out of school at almost three and then at six thirty I've got a club meeting. Only issue there is whether to go to Art Club or Anime Club since they're at the same time. DX But anyway, like I said, if the point of views gets too confusing or something needs to be changed then feel free to tell me. I want to put up what people wanna read, not what people wanna bash.  
Ok I will shut up for now and just quickly say that I still do not own HSM.

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**Chapter Two: After Basketball Practice ("Get'cha Head in the Game")**

I made my way outta basketball practice after it ended. I was at the top of my game and really feelin high. You know, like we were really goin somewhere with that practice. Everyone was all over the floor with the basketballs and everything. I'm tellin you, we were on fire. And Troy, being the captain that he is, really kept us in order. Hey, I gotta say, the guy's mybest friend but I got major respect for the guy. He'd better not do anything to turn it around. Only thing I don't get is what was with all those questions about the musical. Seriously, what's the big deal? I've had my share of issues with musicals. I was forced into a minor roll once in middle school to boost up one of my grades, and it was a total disaster. I mean, it was just enough points to pass, but having to wear leotards and prance around the stage with one line of a song after like a three minute dialogue.... Man it was horrible. Look at me, I'm shuddering right now just thinkin about it. No joke, the hairs all over me art stickin up. But the good news is, I wasn't sweaty and smelly enough that I needed a shower right then in the locker room. It could wait till I got home. Oh yeah, that's right...after detention. And basketball practice. If I even make it to basketball practice. Can't even imagine what Coach is gonna say...and he's Troy father.

So anyway, there was about five minutes left in free period. I decided to roam the halls till the next bell rang, since I had no better place to be. I passed by the Chemistry room or some other lame science room and could see a class goin on in there. And wouldn't you know it, McKessie had to be in there. Too bad we don't have free period the same time. It'd give me more of a chance to flirt with her - I mean, annoy her. Did I say flirt? I meant annoy the everything outta her. You know what I'm sayin? Yeah, never mind.

I blew some hair out of my face to snap the idea outta my head. Hey what was I thinkin, anyway? Bad idea for an item. we're like peanut butter and asparagus. And she's the asparagus cause no one would wanna be around her. But that didn't seem to be the case in that classroom. I could see her sitting next to the new girl and they both had some of the same ideas, with their styles of note taking and whatnot. And then Sharpay goes and sneaks over there, talking to the new girl. Taylor doesn't seem to think anything of it, until it looks like the girl asks a question. I can't hear it cause they're on the further end of the room and I'm just at the edge of the doorway. But even from where I was standing I could see Taylor doing some kind of calculations in her calculator. She did everything so quickly and diligently, like she really knew what she was doin. Man that girl is somethin! I get so caught up I'm actually just standing by the doorway with some kinda goofy smile on my face.

"Hey man!"

I jumped and gasped, practically dropping my basketball. I spin around to see Jason Cross behind me, smiling widely. What was he so perky about? He got Darbus ticked off in homeroom, too. And I just saw him in practice, what's he sneakin around for?

"Dude, what are you doing?" I questioned, trying not to make my actions known.

Jason seemed confused but then again, when is he ever _not_ confused? "I just got outta the shower." he explained. "I saw you standing over here so I came over. Hey, what are you here for anyway? You don't have your next class here.... Do you?" He raised an eyebrow, still with the same perplexed (yes I actually know a word like that) look on his face as he pointed at me.

I could already feel sweat gathering on my forehead just waiting to fall. I wasn't gonna let him know what I was doin here, even if he is a close bud. "Just...hangin around." I shrugged innocently, my ball under my arm.

"By a science room...?" Jason asked.

I only nod. Nothing suspicious about that, right?

Luckily, Jason didn't seem to think anything of it. "Well, I'll see you in lunch then." he shrugged with a smile as he walked off.

I sighed with relief once Jason was gone. That was a close one. He almost found out I was staring at McKessie. Wait, no. I wasn't staring at her. Just thinkin about her. No wait, that's wrong, too.... Gah! Why is the female mind so hard to understand?

But then I literally do jump. The stupid bell caught me off guard. I hate that thing so much sometimes! I look around frantically as the halls start fillin up with other students. Oh man, I gotta get outta here. But every way I turned there was another mob just comin at me. And it wasn't for my autograph as a famous athlete like I wanted it to be one day. So finally, I find a way out but only to go crashin down onto the ground. Falling on my back, I saw a couple of books slide over to me. Well, being the generous guy that I am I decide to help bring em all together.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't lookin." I said, not knowing who it was.

"Oh no, it was my fault." I didn't look at the person, but from the voice I could tell it was a girl's. But it did sound familiar somehow....

I slid the books back to my front side where the voice came from and got on my hands and knees so I could stand up. And, wouldn't ya know it, I had to literally come face to face with McKessie. And dang, we were so close! But I didn't make any moves. I just gasped and jumped back, almost backing into some lockers.

"What are you tryin to do, give me a heart attack?" I accused.

She rolled her eyes as she picked up her books. "In that case, I take my apology back." she said coolly, putting her books in her now unzipped rolling backpack.

But I wasn't lettin her get off the hook. "You know what, it's too late to take your apology back. Because..." Great, now I had to think of a comeback! "...because I take mine back first. So there!"

That seemed to bug her. "Wow, how mature of you."

"Did I detect sarcasm in that?" I questioned as I picked up my ball. "What's your deal anyway, McKessie? Why do you keep running into me?"

"I don't, and technically, you ran into me." she corrected, or so she probably assumed.

I just scoffed at the thought and flew some bangs outta my face. "That all you got?"

"Thanks to you, no." Taylor answered, the same cold tone. "Because thanks to you, I have landed myself a detention, something I have tried so hard to avoid getting since elementary school. And thanks to you that perfect record is down the drain."

"Well if you didn't open your big fat mouth..." I started.

"Well if you didn't open your mouth in the first place..." she retorted.

I could feel our faces getting closer again as we each came up with a retort. I don't know, it was like somethin was buildin up.

"Well if you didn't try to be so perfect, which you're clearly not..."

"Well maybe if you didn't insult me every five seconds we ran into each other..."

And before I could make yet another counter, there was the warning bell. I saw Taylor's eyes widen big as she quickly gathered her things again.

"Oh man, I am so going to be late!" she gasped.

"Yeah well, that's what you get for gettin caught up in my good looks." I replied. But it was a weird reply. I don't even know what it was. Was I joking? Was I teasing? Was a flirting? What?

She seemed to stop as she bent over to pick up that last book and raise an eyebrow. She quickly shook her head and just stuffed her book in her backpack. "You know what, go use that line on a cheerleader. I'm done." So then she scooped up her backpack and started walking away defiantly with it rolling behind her, her petite hands gripping on the handle and her head up in the air like she won this battle.

"Don't think this means you're off the hook!" I yelled after her. I shook my head and rolled my eyes as the final bell rang a minute later. So now I'm stuck in the hallway practically frozen. Oh snap...I was just late for my next class. Maybe if I was lucky, it wouldn't land me another detention. No choice now but to speed down the hall as fast as I could and get McKessie off my mind.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

Third period Chemistry was often a breeze for me. Call me a nerd like all the rest, but I quite adore science. I will admit that there are certain branches of the subject that I have a slight dislike for more than others, but Chemistry was one of my personal favorites. That was a bit different today with Sharpay easily being overheard behind me. And no, she wasn't irritating me, if that's what you're insinuating. It was the new girl, better identified as Gabriella Montez, who she was going on about. Or rather, talking to. And as much as I was trying to pay attention to the lesson plan and jot down every little observation in my notes, I couldn't help but overhear the girls' conversation.

"So, it seemed like you knew Troy Bolton." Sharpay started. I could sweat I heard Gabriella gasp, at least quietly. I can't say that I'd blame her; Sharpay is a bit dramatic at times and can easily take one by surprise somehow.

"Not really. He was just showing me around." Gabriella replied.

So Troy Bolton, captain of the lunkheads was showing Gabriella around this morning after homeroom? Funny; they don't seem like a likely pair to me.

"Well, Troy doesn't usually interact with...new students." Sharpay continued somewhat casually.

I knew something had to be up with this girl. It was no secret that she had at least a monster crush on Troy since about the seventh grade. And it wasn't like she'd be crossing any boundaries; she already acted like she ruled the school and it was obvious to the majority of the campus that Troy was alpha dog. I continued jotting down my Chemistry notes, thinking I heard Gabriella pause before answering Sharpay again, though after her response Sharpay didn't seem distracted in the least.

"How come?"

"Well it's pretty much just basketball twenty-four/seven with him."

I didn't quite catch Gabriella's reply, because it began to sound as though she was talking to herself. Now I'm not usually one to eavesdrop or snoop, but I was sitting right next to her. I think I had the right to listen in at least a little bit. And it wasn't like they were distracting me. Or actually acknowledging my existence.... But that's besides the point. I picked up my head from my notebook, my calculator at hand after Gabriella spoke. And apparently the teacher had heard her, because she asked if Gabriella had something to add to the class. Now Gabriella seemed hesitant at first, but as soon as the teacher signaled for her to continue, she did so. Quite an obedient peer, I must say,

""Shouldn't the equation read sixteen over pi?" she inquired.

"Sixteen over pi?" Our teacher replied. "That's clearly impossible." She shook her head but nonetheless began retyping everything in her own calculator. I matched her decimal for decimal of course, unable to believe it unless I saw it for myself. Teachers don't often make mistakes too easily, though on some occasions it does happen on accident. And I must say, Gabriella has a keen eye. I finished the equation in the calculator just as the teacher did and began quietly tapping my pencil against my notebook. I glanced at the teacher and she gave a nod. "I stand corrected." she said politely. And as she erased the incorrect equation, she turned to Gabriella with a smile. "Oh, and welcome aboard."

I'm not sure of Sharpay's reaction now, as I had let my attention on her cease. But I continued quietly tapping my pencil as I stole another glance from Gabriella. Truly the curious girl, she is. She appears to have brains - no offense intended - and she seems a bit modest. Quite shy, even. Despite those naive qualities, I began having certain thoughts about that girl. Perhaps she really was what the Decathlon was looking for. She could easily become a valued friend and teammate. Surely it was a case to look further into. I made a note to myself to see if she would be in any of my other classes throughout the day and see what would happen at detention, if we would get the chance to communicate. Besides, it would make the transformation of schools easier for her, or so I would like to think so.

The bell rang and I gathered my books together. I carefully stuffed them into my backpack, only so I would assure myself that I would not be tardy for my next class. Unfortunately, I was quite careless; I hadn't zippered the backpack the entire way. And as soon as I leave the classroom and collide roughly with a fellow student - or so I hope it was rather than a teacher - the books tumbled out from their safety area and onto the cold tiled floor. And as you may I have guessed, I feel down with them.

"Sorry, I wasn't lookin." the guy said, which told me from the sound of his voice that he was indeed a male. And I, being a fairly polite young woman, couldn't let him take all the blame.

"Oh no, it was my fault." I apologized, shaking my head as I began reaching for the books around me. I got on my knees so I could reach a book on my opposite side and...you'll love this one...I had to come just inches away from the face of Lunkhead Chad Danforth. I gasped and accidentally let the books in my hand fall out of my grasp and nearly jumped back up to my feet.

He seemed to have the same reaction as well, because his next comment sounded quite insulting. "What are you tryin to do, give me a heart attack?"

I rolled my eyes and returned to gathering my books, placing each one more carefully in my now unzipped backpack. I really did not want to deal with this guy now, I've had enough. I don't care how strong he is or how much like chocolate his eyes are or how curly his hair is, I do not want to deal with him. And I do not want to give off the aura that I like him either. "Well in that case I take my apology back." I replied coolly. Yes, a taste of my cold shoulder should do the boy some good. My parents have told me it was so cold they deemed it the McKessie Ice. And trust me, it's as icy as they come. I once held a grudge on my father for nearly two weeks just because he returned my favorite book to the library before I finished reading it.

"You know what, you can't take your apology back. Because..." he began retorting, though his voice seemed to fade. Was this boy clueless or what? See, this is why he couldn't count past ten, not to mention barely past three in Spanish. He had to pause just to think of a semi-decent comeback for his miniature brain...assuming there was one underneath all that hair. Wait, I'm not getting caught up in his hair again! Why doesn't he just shave it already? "...because I take mine back first! So there."

Could he be any more childish to match? "Wow, how mature of you." I said sarcastically.

"Do I detect sarcasm in that?" Chad asked. I could see from the corner of my eye him picking up his basketball and rising back to his feet. So he can detect sarcasm. Perhaps he's not a _complete_ fool. "What's your deal anyway, McKessie? Why do you keep running into me?"

And here he goes again with the last name. It's always the last name. I swear, there have hardly been any occasions when we've called each other by our first names, at least after second grade. It shows how little respect he must have for not just me, but probably other women and scholars. And with all the cheerleaders I've seen him go out with, I'm pretty sure that the following fact is that obvious: he can't spend more than a day with the same one because he has no respect for the opposite gender and is as clueless as they come in his species.

"I don't and technically, you ran into me." I replied. In my defense, it was true. I was merely trying to make my way to my next class until he bumped into me.

"That all you got?" he scoffed.

Now I was getting annoyed. I made sure to keep my icy tone audible. "Thanks to you, no. Because thanks to you, I have landed myself a detention, something I have tried so hard to avoid getting since at least elementary school. And thanks to you my perfect record is now down the drain." Maybe it was just my way of venting, but it was true. And if you look at it that way, Chad was the one who pushed me into getting that detention. He was to blame, simple as that.

"Well if you didn't open your big fat mouth..." he argued.

"Well if you didn't open your mouth in the first place..." I retorted, feeling our faces grow slightly inches closer every time an argument came out of our mouths.

"Well if you didn't try to be so perfect, which you're clearly not..."

"Well maybe if you didn't insult me every five seconds we ran into each other..."

He couldn't even get another counter in thanks to the warning bell. And that made me realize I had less than two minutes to walk to my next class, arrive through the door, take my seat, pull out said books from my backpack, and retrieve that homework from last night. My eyes widened at the thought of actually being tardy without a reasonable excuse.

"I'm going to be late!" I realized, quickly pulling up the handle to my backpack so I could take my leave.

"Yeah well, that's what you get for getting caught up in my good looks." Chad smirked. At least, I think he smirked. It sounded like the reply that would make him smirk. I mean, I wasn't looking at him when he said it so I didn't know what he was doing. I couldn't even read his tone. He couldn't have been flirting, I know it. He and I would never flirt. We are so wrong for each other! And he wasn't teasing either. Chad insulted, never teased, when it came to me. And he wasn't joking. His jokes were for his lunkheaded friends and girlfriends only. But I couldn't be bothered with my dreams...I mean, assumptions...now. I had a class to get to.

"You know what, save it for your cheerleaders or something." I decided. "I'm done." I shook my head and began walking away. But apparently I wasn't far enough for him to not get one more word in. The last word, of course.

"Don't think this means you're off the hook!" he called after me.

It sounded like a final desperate attempt, but it was still the last word. And quite frankly, I didn't want to deal with it. What hook was I on anyway? He wasn't luring me anywhere. I wasn't some fish going in for his bait to some dance or a date. And what would he give me as bait anyway, a flower? So cliché and overused. But maybe a box of chocolates would do some good.... Wait a minute, what the Einstein am I saying? I am not thinking about Chad, I am not getting any ideas about him, and I am no infatuated with him. Whatever was going on this first day back, I had to put it all aside and remember what was most important. And that included keeping Chad as close to the back of my mind as possible.

* * *

So that was the second chapter. How was it? I thought it was kinda slow and possibly unnecessary, but then what would they have been doing after basketball practice, right? And figure right after that class was when Sharpay and Ryan went to the computer lab so something had to have gone down then. I'm mainly working from the book right now as I type everything to get an idea of the order of events and everything because I still do not have my HSM DVD and I didn't have much time to look up clips or anything on youtube. XD So if I mess anything up or get anything screwed up please tell me so? Anyway, I'll probably update again tomorrow night, as in Tuesday, unless I can miraculously get something in tomorrow afternoon, but we'll see. Till then, happy reading with any other stories you are reading and happy writing to those of you in the midst of story writing. ^^


	3. Detention

Ok so I have probably two hours before I head to Art Club tonight (yes I finally decided between that an Anime Club. One of my friends wanted to go and I already missed the first two meetings so maybe I can alternate every other week or something.). So anyway, even though I should do my writing or economics homework, does it really make sense to start it now? Anyway, I thought this was way more worth it. xD ok maybe not in the long run, but don't you all wanna know what goes on in detention? Again, I'm working from the book here so please let me know if I get any facts fixed up. Anyway, I'm watching That's So Raven (which I don't own either) while I'm typing. It's the episode with their new teacher who was on Full House or something and is a guest star. It's a funny episode. ^^ Anyway, let's hope this chapter will be funny, too.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Detention  
**

Three p.m. struck the school fairly quickly. For some it was time for their after-school activities. For some it was time to head home. For some it was time for detention. Yes, I was stuck in that final fraction. Such a pity when a good girl goes bad. But once again, it was not my fault. And I was not making myself feel bad or anything. Cut me some slack please? It was a long day for me. And unfortunately the day wasn't over yet. I wish I could just return home already and deal with the punishment my parents would hand me. No, they didn't force me to get good grades or anything, but they did enforce rules about obtaining them. But I couldn't think about getting into more trouble now; it was time to get Ms. Darbus' detention over with. I could only imagine what it would be like under her wing; it almost made me nervous. But then something happened when I opened my locker that just took my nerves away. A few sheets of paper flew out and collapsed onto the ground. Naturally curious, I picked them up and began scanning them at first, then slowly read everything.

"Gabriella Montez takes Sun High to Scholastic Championships." I read the headliner to myself. That was the new girl; so she was a smart girl. I had to continue reading and learn more about her, I just had to. It turned out that she hadn't gotten a single problem wrong, she nearly completed every given question in close to a record time, took her team ahead just when it looked like they would lose, and was declared the school's secret weapon. I never would have imagined. She seemed like such a shy and timid young lady. Why would she be trying to hide her intelligence? I continued flipping through the articles and reading each one, squealing happily to myself. I had to talk to Gabriella today. Even if it was in detention. I was going to get this girl on my Decathlon team and not a force on the planet could stop me!

I didn't waste another second. I sped down the hall and made it into detention just in time. I nearly slid to a stop as Ms. Darbus handed my a paintbrush and a paint can. "You were almost late, Ms. McKessie." she scolded. "I want you to get to painting and working on the drama set like the rest of the students. Chop, chop." I raised an eyebrow at the teacher. This was her idea of detention? I know she told us to meet in the auditorium but I never would have expected for it to be over painting a few sets for a musical. She walked away and began barking more orders. "Gold, more gold! Paint, paint, let's go!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I had to get over this. I could talk to Gabriella while I worked. No harm in that. The smile returning to my face, I rushed over to Gabriella, catching her painting some kind of crescent moon in a baby blue color. And I didn't waste another second after that.

"The answer is yes!" I exclaimed.

But Gabriella only looked at me confused, temporarily ceasing her job. "Huh?"

"Our Scholastic Decathlon team has its first competition next week, and there is certainly a spot open for you." I grinned, completely explaining my yes. I knew that had to sound right to her. After all, she was too shy to speak out in person that she had to stick these online articles about her in my locker as her way of telling me she wanted a spot on the team. It was perfect!

But Gabriella seemed even more confused now, like she had no idea what I was talking about. "Where did you get those?" she gasped.

Now I was the perplexed one. "Didn't you slip them in my locker?"

"Of course not." she replied right away.

"Oh..." I hesitated, not sure where to go next. But these articles just couldn't be wrong. They were proof of her genuine qualities. But if she didn't put them in my locker then who did? They didn't just print themselves out of a computer and slip in through a crack on their own. Luckily, I was a master of fast recovery. "Well we'd love to have you on the team. We meet almost every day after school." Surely it was a tempting offer. But Gabriella still looked unsure. Contrast much? "Please?" I asked, wondering if coming close to begging would win her over.

"I really should catch up on the curriculum here, before I join any clubs." Gabriella answered politely.

I suppose that was a decent answer. I mean, it was only her first day back. The girl did deserve to be cut a little slack. But still, I really did think she'd be a good addition to the team. There didn't seem to be any arguments against so or any reasons why she shouldn't be the perfect candidate. And need I remind you about my feeling this morning? I'm sure that Gabriella's the reason. But before I knew it, Sharpay walked over with a big old smile on her face. Wait a minute...this wasn't her doing, was it? What could be Sharpay's motivation for allowing Gabriella to join in on the Decathlon team? Was it to help Gabriella know her place at East High, or was she suspicious of Gabriella and Troy? Really, what was there even to worry about? It wasn't like one new girl would upset the delicate balance of cliques here.

"But what a perfect way to get caught up, meeting with the smartest kids in school!" Sharpay grinned. "What a generous offer, Taylor."

I tried my best not to roll my eyes. Sharpay cut pull off the nice act now, I'm sure no one was buying it.

"So many new faces in detention today." Ms. Darbus observed as she walked over to our little group. "I hope we don't make a habit of it but the drama can always use an extra hand. And now, let us probe the mounting evils of cell phones..." Her voice only barely faded as she walked away from us and began strolling around the stage giving her dramatic speech. Or so it sounded.

I blew some bangs out of my face and leaned up against the moon prop Gabriella was painting, the part that wasn't already painted yet, of course. What did I do to deserve this? Oh yes, Chad Danforth. I briefly glance over to where the curly-haired athlete is, working on a tree prop with Troy. How clueless that boy seemed, working on painting a simple log. Well, it looked like on from my angle. Either that, or he was doing just that bad a job of painting. Don't get me wrong, I don't like insulting anyone. But it's a dog eat dog school and to survive, especially when one continues bringing another down for their own amusement. That's the only way to stand up to people in this school. Weakness can't be shown, especially not to some lunkheaded basketball man who thinks that getting girls and playing sports is more important than academics and.... Is he falling asleep already? Wow, that paint blends in so well with his hair, you could never even tell the difference. It's pretty cute.... Wait a minute, what am I thinking? Why didn't you stop me? I had to get back to work, and fast, before Ms. Darbus found out. Or worse...Chad!

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

Man could detention get any worse? I was falling asleep so hard as soon as I collapsed inside the tree I was painting. And I sweat I could feel somethin hard on the back of my head, like my hair was stickin together or somethin. And now somethin was ticklin my nose. And was it actually goin through my hair? Ok, who's drawin the line here? All I knew was that I was sleepin in a tree. Oh man, it wasn't Taylor was it? Oh man the things that girl does to me. Runs her fingers in my hair...starts pokin my nose...probably gettin ready to crawl on top of me and surprise me when I wake up just to scare me so I think it's a ghost as soon as I open my eyes.... Man I can already imagine those brown eyes. I shake my head as my nose is poked by somethin again and then just go back to smilin. That's right Taylor, I know you want me. Just come right to me, I'm ready for you....

"Where's my team Darbus!" I heard the coach yell. My eyes shot open as I was in the tree. Oh man, Taylor wasn't in the tree with me! Where was the surprise? Unless she ran out before the coach came in.... Hold up, what am I sayin? I do not like the nerd! There is nothin goin on with us, we're not even friends! Get a grip, Danforth. "What the heck are those two doing in a tree?" Coach demanded as I saw him make his way over to the stage.

"It's called crime and punishment, Bolton. And proximity to the arts is cleansing for the soul." Darbus said from center stage. I could see her from the corner of my eye. She sounded ticked, too. But I didn't even know what she was sayin. What to the arts was what for the what? I'm tellin you, it made no sense!

"Can we have a word?" Coach asked, pretty annoyed to Darbus. And he wasn't done yet; there was still me and Troy to take care of. I could see him eying the tree...since I was in it and Troy had to be somewhere nearby. "And you two, in the gym."

Back to basketball practice? So much better than serving some Darbus-filled detention! But Coach was pretty steamed, too, especially at me and Troy. Hey, it wasn't our fault. Someone else started it. Bet it was that new girl. She's nothin but trouble. And then Troy had to land himself a detention which meant I had to stick up for him and keep him outta trouble.

Oh wait, if I left that means Taylor would be all by herself here. Too bad, none of her friends would be around. It was such a shame now, wasn't it? Oh well, a guy has to do what a guy has to do. Besides, I knew I'd see her tomorrow or somethin. No big deal. But she did seem pretty lonely all by herself.... No, no, no! Get a grip, Chad! You do now have it in for McKessie, you do not have any interest on her. Nothin can change in one day. Push her outta your mind and get your butt to basketball practice before coach has it in for you. Too bad before I even have the chance to move, Troy's draggin me out from the tree. I quickly grab my basketball and cautiously follow him out. Neither of want trouble and we both know it. Troy knows it better than anyone. Remember, this is his old man we're talkin about. So that means if we wanna live to see bedtime tonight, we gotta get to practice and do our best to act like detention today never happened.

All I could do as I left was own myself a quick glimpse of Taylor. She was painting so diligently and delicately...oh man, the way she holds that paintbrush. Her hands are so small, too. And the way she watches everything so carefully.... I had to run my fingers through my hair as I took my last glance at her before anyone noticed. Man she looked so....

Hey wait a minute, what is this in my hair? It's so dry and hard.... Oh for the love of LeBrone, how did all this paint get in my hair?

* * *

Sorry, I know this chapter was a bit short. I'm giving Taylor so much more role here than Chad, aren't I? DX I feel so guilty about that. I gotta give Chad more of a role next chapter. It probably won't be too long either, cause it'll be around the time Gabriella and Taylor are talking after school. Don't worry, I'll make up something for Chad during that time interval. You'll know he'll be doing something. ^^ Now as for their little thoughts, amazing how much in denial they are, aren't they? Wonder how long that's all been going on? 0=) Well anyway, it's time for me to grab some dinner before heading to Art Club so I will see if I can get in another update tonight. Unfortunately, since HSM3 came out on DVD today, I have not been able to get it. T_T I'm hoping to get it after school next Thursday so then maybe that night I can watch it...no wait, I got a test that Friday. DX Well I'm gonna get that movie soon, and I'm gonna watch it with a ton of popcorn! You'll see. Oh wait, you're already seeing the movie aren't you? XD My bad.


	4. After School

So I am back from Art Club. And Anime Club was canceled tonight so that meant I wouldn't have to choose. ^^ And I had the most random thought about HSM. What if all the characters had pokémon? I dunno, I was watching parts of the Pokémon marathon yesterday on President's Day and it was just a random thought. Now I'm wondering what starter pokémon they'd all get and everything. Does that sound like a lame idea for a fanfic? I'm just wondering now. Anyway, here is the next chapter. It's going to be fairly short but I will try and make it up to you with a long one during auditions. C= But you're gonna have to wait for that one, cause I dunno if I'll have time for three updates total in one night. Plus I really should stop procrastinating with my writing and economics homework and I really don't wanna do em. T_T  
So, onto the chapter now and happy thoughts! ^^ One final depressing thought.... I don't own HSM.

* * *

**Chapter Four: After School  
**

"We've never made it past the first round of the Scholastic Decathlon. You could be our answered prayer." I told Gabriella the next day as we exited East High when the Decathlon meeting had ended. I was being completely friendly and honest; Gabriella had really come through for us and was proving to be a valuable asset to the team. I'm sure that she's our secret weapon to winning this year. Don't get me wrong, I'd never use her or anyone for that matter, but who said friends couldn't support each other or anything? Well, maybe friends is too strong for just one or two days, not even. More like acquaintances. But we were getting aloing really well.

"I'm going to focus on my studies this semester and help my mom get the new house organized. Maybe next year." she decided, walking beside me as I dragged my backpack behind us. I know what she said about focusing on her studies and wanting to get used to everything, but how could she turn down the Scholastic Decathlon? It would be the perfect way to catch up with everything and a good way to start blending in with the school. She would really find her place. And she was the perfect candidate to join. Surely there had to be a better reason for her not to join. If she could give me that one better reason then I'd agree with her and let her join when she was ready. Even if it would get the team's hopes of probably winning another competition down, but there was no way I would say that aloud.

But I still wanted to try, just to see if one more persuasive statement would make a difference. "But-"

"What do you know about Troy Bolton?" Gabriella asked right away.

I raised an eyebrow at the mentioning of his name. I wondered why she was so curious about a jock. There was nothing special about them, especially this one. All he did was play basketball better than any other boy at school and practically reigned as the king of East High. Couldn't she see that there would be absolutely nothing between her and Troy? Clearly this was nothing more than a school girl crush and her head would be out of the clouds before she knew it. Now Troy's little buddy Chad was something else. First glimpse and the first thing you'd see was a bushy-haired sidekick. But I'm willing to bet that there's more to him than meets the guy. And it's not just some school girl crush.... Wait a minute, Gabriella and I were talking about Troy. I have to snap out of it. I acted as though nothing had been going on in my head and that I had been paying full attention. And I must admit, I was curious about what really did attract Gabriella to Troy.

"Troy?" I repeated curiously. "I wouldn't consider myself an expert on that particular subspecies. However, unless you speak cheerleader as in..." I caught a glance of a small group of cheerleaders chatting a few feet away. I decided to give Gabriella a demonstration and walked into the group, speaking in a high and enthusiastic voice, "Oh my gosh, isn't Troy Bolton just the hottie superbomb?" Now that got those girls squealing. They started going on and on about Troy and I giggled at the sight, followed by dragging Gabriella away with a smile. "See what I mean?"

Gabriella smiled politely but I could tell the laugh she gave was unable to be held back. "I guess I wouldn't know how to speak cheerleader."

Trust me, I had my ways of speaking foreign languages, cheerleader included. "Which is why we exist in an alternative universe to Troy-the-basketball-boy." I answered.

"Have you tried to get to know him?" Gabriella inquired.

That would truly be a thought. A nerd actually getting to know a jock. As in friendly terms. She certainly is a naive one. "What how it works in the cafeteria tomorrow when you have lunch with us." I offered. "Unless you'd rather sit with the cheerleaders and discuss the importance of firm nail beds."

"My nail beds are history." Gabriella replied sheepishly, gently wiggling her fingers.

I took one look at them and my eyes widened. Her nails were so tiny, they looked like they were nearly completely bitten off. I showed her my nail beds and they were just as slow. I can't help it, I bite my nails when I'm nervous. And...I just so happen to be stressed out by a certain someone lately, hence my petite nails. But this Gabriella girl, she was really something else. I think I really have made a great new friend.

"Sister!" I smiled happily as the two of us walked off campus hand in hand as though we had been best friends for years.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

And two more points! Sweetness. My game is as good as ever, even with a detention yesterday. I'd say I'm doin pretty good. Even played a little one on one with my dad an hour ago...well, before he was called in by my mom. She needed him to clean out the garage or somethin. No, wait...if he was cleaning out the garage there'd be a loud boom or somethin. He's probably snoozin in the attic or somethin.

But I gotta keep my eye on the prize. The championship game is still next week and I gotta keep my head in the game. That's our new team motto. You know, get'cha head in the game. Pretty catchy, huh? And then I get to throw in my own little twist to it. I yell what team three times and every time they gotta reply 'Wildcats'. How cool is that? I'd make a way better mascot than that Wiley or whatever its name is. But really, why give up my spot on the team? That'd be like givin up my jock status. And no one is ever takin my spot. I'm tellin you, it's mine. Hey I can think of a few other things that are mine. My best friend Troy, my basketball, my spot on the basketball team, my girlfr.... Wait a minute, I don't have a girlfriend. Well, yet. Remember that yet is the key word. And to keep my prince status of East High on the map, I gotta get me a princess. What? I'd make a great prince. Don't even need a crown or anythin.

"Chad can I talk to you for a minute?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily. There was my mom standin in the doorway with her arms folded. The woman can be really laid back when she's not workin but when she gets all mama on someone, she makes sure to go all-out. You don't even wanna know. I tucked my basketball under my arm and walked over to her. "Yeah mom?"

"Don't use that tone with me, young man." she replied. "Now mind telling me why you earned yourself a detention first day back?" I dropped my mouth and opened it to speak but she cut me off. "Troy's father told me earlier."

Should've known the Coach would turn on me. "I was just tryin to keep Troy outta detention." I said defensively. "He was gonna miss basketball practice and we were gonna lose our game without our captain."

"One practice wouldn't kill you." my mom replied simply. "And you have more important things to worry about. Maybe if you focus on your own schoolwork and worry about your own skills in basketball you wouldn't be so concerned about Troy. I'm not that old, honey. I know what it's like to have a best friend. And as important it is to put them before yourself, sometimes you need to worry more about you than them, especially when the situation calls for it. Need I remind you of a few of your grades?"

"I'll get em up, mom." I rolled my eyes. "Can I go back to workin on my free throws?"

"Well you do need to clear your mind. I can certainly see a young lady being on your mind." I heard her reply as soon as I turned my back to head to the hoop hangin from the garage. My eyes widened as I spun back around to her.

"What? There's no girl on my mind..." I stuttered. Oh man, she caught it didn't she? I'm tellin her, there's no girl on my mind. You know that, right? I'm not thinkin about a single girl.

"Whatever you say, honey." she shrugged like she was so innocent. "Dinner will be ready in fifteen."

I rolled my eyes as she walked back inside. Seriously, what is up with that woman? Can't she tell when her own son needs some alone time or think about the girl he wants to.... Wait, that came out completely wrong! I said there's no girl on my mind. I'm just thinkin about basketball, nothin else. Not even if my grades drop a little. And as long as I keep it at a C for the rest of the season I'll be fine till the end of the year.

"Well that shouldn't be so surprising. A few girl issues and school issues? What else could be on the miniscule mind of a lunkhead basketball boy?"

I scowled as I turned to see McKessie in front of my house. She had her books clutched to her and her backpack at her side with a look like she was all that, like she knew everything. How long has she been standin there anyway?

"What's it to you anyway, McKessie?" I questioned. "You don't need to know anythin about my life."

"Except for your girl and education issues." she stated simply.

"How much of that were you eavesdroppin on anyway?" I demanded, getting annoyed with her. "Why do you gotta know every little thing that goes on in a person's life? Are you that obsessed with me?" I could swear I saw her eyes widen at the sound of that, like I hit a nerve or somethin. Ok, what did I say? Why's she lookin at me so shocked?

"What ever gave you that idea?" she asked, though I thought I almost heard her pause.

"You're always stalkin me. You always gotta talk to me. What, are you that madly in love with me?" I argued. I wanted to know what was that girl's problem, why she had to be all down my throat. Nothin I did was her business, whether I wanted her to be my business or not. You know...like annoyin her, I mean. You can understand that, right?

But Taylor only shook her head and grabbed her backpack before scoffing and strolling away. She didn't even say a single word to me. Now that got me ticked.

"What, you don't wanna get the last word in this time?" I called after her, wantin to know what her deal was.

She briefly turned to face me with a look that almost gave me the impression she was tryin to hide somethin. "Yeah. Get yourself a life and stop thinking I actually have something to do with it." Taylor replied icily. She turned back around and walked off, not sayin another word. She didn't even give me a chance to get the last word in this time.

I sighed heavily and groaned as I grabbed my ball and stormed into the house. My mom was leaning up against the wall near the door. What, was she eavesdroppin on me, too? Was nothing in my life private anymore? "Don't say a word." I warned her as I pushed my way into the kitchen. And as far as I know, she thought nothing of it and just raised her hands like there was nothin goin on. Well, there isn't. Nothin is goin on, nothin is changin. Everythin is exactly the same as it was yesterday.

At least...I think so.

* * *

How was this? I think I gave Chad a little more in here. But the argument might have gone a little too far too quickly. I don't know, should they just act like it never happened or something? Then again, there was definitely a nerve hit here. Chad went and opened his big fat mouth. Anyhow, you know what's coming in the next chapter. Everything will be during auditions. I will try and post it tomorrow and see how that goes. So we'll wait and see what happens during the next song....


	5. During Auditions

Well school was fairly boring today. I got a lot of clay on my clothes and now it's raining outside. I was planning on going to buy HSM3 today so I can watch it tonight, since I have work right after school tomorrow and I can't do anything over the weekend except this, more work and homework, and next week like this Friday I've got tests. So that means I might have to wait a whole other week before getting the movie. Depressing, huh? =C But then again, that would take time away from reading all the fanfics on here! You know which ones are my favorites to read anyway. ^^ So I will put this chapter up and see if I'll have a chance to get anything on tomorrow. If not, I'll still be sure to put a chapter up before work on Friday. So till then, happy reading! C=  
And yet again, I do not own HSM.

* * *

**Chapter Five: During Auditions ("What I've Been Looking For")**

"Hey Troy!" I greeted after homeroom the next day with my basketball at hand. "Hey, the whole team's gettin together in the gym during free period to practice. What do you want us to run?"

Like I said, we had to get ready for the big game. And if anyone could make sure we were in shape, it was Troy. Ok, the Coach too, but he was the Coach. He had to know what to have us do. But Troy was captain for a reason. He knows the team better than anyone of our teammates - maybe even including me - do. So this was obviously the best way to get ready, not to mention keep our minds on...something else.

"Uh you know what, I can't." Troy replied. "I've gotta catch up on some homework."

He was jokin, right? "Homework? Hello, it's like the second day back. I'm not even behind on homework. And I've been behind since kindergarten." I joked with a smile.

"Yeah, that's funny." Troy agreed with a faint chuckle. "I'll catch you later." He headed away down into the crowded hall.

I just stood there in disbelief. What was Troy thinkin? Was he really gonna trick me with that? He was hidin somethin and I was gonna find out what it was. "Homework? There's no way." I shook my head. So naturally I had to follow Troy and see what he was up to. He ducked into a classroom and tried sneakin up behind him, but then I was greeted with a high five from another basketball player. We exchanged manly grins and wished each other luck for the next game before he walked away. But you'll never believe this...by the time I looked back in the classroom, Troy was gone! He pulled a complete Houdini. You know, that magician guy.... He is a magician, right?

Anyway I headed to the stairs to see if I could follow Troy somehow. But I forgot how speedy the guy could be; he was outta my sight in seconds. I walked down slowly, tryin to see where he went to but Troy was nowhere to be found. Seriously, has he been doing more morning laps around town or somethin? Maybe all I had to do was pick up my speed and catch up. It wasn't like he had anythin to hide, right? There was nothin goin on today that was different from anythin else. Same club meetings, asme lame drama stuff...yeah, like Troy would really be headin to the auditorium right now. Hilarious, huh? I know my best bud and he'd never do somethin like that. I bet he was sneakin off to see a girl. Man she must've been somethin if he didn't want anyone followin him....

Hey wait a minute, what if it was the nerd? No way Troy would be makin a move on her! I had to get them away from each other before somethin happened. The order of East High would be destroyed if he made a move on Taylor! I was gonna be the one to do that! I mean.... I was gonna be the one to make the big move on her. You know, like a prank? The biggest prank of em all? Yeah, that's what I was tryin to do. And Troy was gonna ruin my chance of doin that if he was with her!

So I kept runnin and runnin as fast as I could. I jumped down the last flight of stairs and, before I knew it, I had literally jumped right into someone and we both fell onto the floor. Hard. I'm not even kiddin here. My whole body smashed right into her and we tumbled onto the floor. And I knew it was a girl cause I could hear like a screech or moan or somethin come from her. And we landed side by side, my arm flyin rigfht over her and we were layin face to face. I shook my head and got some hair outta my face before realizin who I was layin next to. Guess who? Yup, none other than McKessie. Both our eyes widen and I gasp. We jump up at the same time and our backs face each other as we brush ourselves off.

"You know...you really shouldn't be hangin around at the bottom of some stairs." I told her, tryin not to stammer.

"Who said I was hanging around?" she replied, sounding more calm and casual, but I thought I heard her sound a bit nervous. Ha! McKessie nervous? Yeah right.

"I ran into you, didn't I?" I asked. My back still faced her but I turned my head so I could see her from the corner of my eye. Dang, even her back side looked good! I mean...for a nerd.

"And you said I was the one who kept running into you." she replied, seeming cool and confident.

"I did say that, didn't I?" I asked. No, I wasn't caught off guard. I was just...stringin her along. Y'know, doin a girl a favor.

"You said a lot of things." Taylor informed me, now mocking my pose. Her arms were folded and her back was still facing mine, but her head was turned towards me in the slightest bit. It really highlighted her curves when she did that.... What? A guy can't notice the little things in any girl?

"You goin somewhere with this?" I asked, not willing to let myself let down for the head nerd.

"Yesterday. Ring a bell?" she questioned, quirkin an eyebrow.

Yesterday, yesterday, yesterday.... Nothin rang a bell at first. I mean, I did say a lotta stuff yerterday. I was quiet as I started tapping my chin, tryin to figure out what I said. I mean, I talked an awful lot and it was a long day. I could've said almost anything....

"You know what, never mind." Taylor shook her head, snapping me outta my thoughts. "Why don't you just go play with a football or something?"

"Basketball." I corrected her. "I don't do football."

"Whatever." she sighed. "Just go deal with whoever you need to deal with. I'm out of here." She took her backpack by the handle and started leavin.

"So you think you can just insult my jock-ness and be on your way?" I questioned, hands on my hips. "What did you even do with my basketball? I know you took it."

It was true; McKessie had to have pulled a fast one on me. I lost my ball when I fell right into her. She had to have taken it, no one else was around. Bet when I had my back turned she took my ball just to get my attention. She took it, stuffed it in her backpack and just hoped that it would make me ask her out. Well lemme tell you, it was the furthest thing from my mind. There was no way in a million years that I'd ever ask McKessie on a date.

But instead, she just turned to me coolly. "Have you looked down the hall?" she inquired, pointing in one of the directions the ball might have rolled.

I blinked and looked in the direction she was pointin. Down the hall, against some of the lockers, was my basketball. I blinked and nearly fell over at the sight. "Oh..." I said slowly.

"Yeah. Oh." she repeated. I saw her shake her head and then walked off. I turned to her and started openin my mouth to say somethin, but nothin came out and she just left.

Um...what just happened anyway?

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

I took my usual seat in the library during my free period. Honestly, I'm amazed Chad didn't make me late for my Chemistry class. He actually had to nerve to run into me and forget about our exchanging of insults yesterday. He's the one that accused me of being madly in love with him. Why would he even get that idea? No, scratch that. Where would he ever get such a ridiculous idea like that? All I do is have a small crush on him.... No, not even that. There is nothing there between us, I have never felt anything between us. Like he would even feel anything himself. He's got all of his cheerleaders by his side. He'll probably get to one of them or something for all I know. I mean, it's not like I'm disappointed with the thought or anything.... No, no, no! Chad is the last person on my mind. I had to redirect my attention somehow.

The important thing was it was my free period and a perfect time to catch up on some schoolwork. I could sit back and relax my way. I opened up some of my textbooks and began jotting down notes for a test coming up and quietly hummed to myself. It was a fairly catchy tune, actually. I had heard a pair singing quite softly when I passed by the auditorium before. The piano had been playing softly and the voices blended together so well. It certainly wasn't Sharpay and Ryan. It must have been another pair auditioning for the musical or something. Either way, I would say things would change for Sharpay and Ryan if some secret talent in their own club would push them out of their leads. I couldn't help but grin at the thought, needing to picture the twins' reactions. I began humming to myself, the same song I overheard. I was nowhere near drama club material nor had I ever planned on joining at any point. But if I do say myself, I have a decent singing voice. Even when I hum it has to be well sung. Oddly enough, I wasn't the one thinking so today.

"Whatchya hummin?"

I blinked and turned to see Chad standing beside my seat, leaning against the table. What on earth was he doing here? He wasn't seriously following me, was he?

"Why is it any of your business?" I inquired nonchalantly. "I thought I lost you last period."

"Yeah well, shows you what you know." Chad replied.

I blinked and gave him a glare. He did not just insult my intelligence. "Excuse me?"

"What? No, I mean..." Why was he stammering? He actually sounded like he was going to take back his answer. That was so unlike him. Who was the man...I mean boy...and what did he do with the real Chad Danforth?

"Your point, Danforth?" I told him, wanting him to get on with it. I had work to do and while he smashed into me last period falling down a flight of stairs, he was not about to distract me again.

"I didn't mean it that way...you're the smartest girl in school.... I mean..." he continued, still stammering.

I blinked and tried to refrain myself from turning red. And trust me, I hardly ever blushed. "Um...thank you...?" I replied, though it had come out more as a question. After all, it wasn't like Chad to actually compliment me. If that's what he was even trying to do.

"Ok I'll just get on with it." he sighed, apparently letting his arrogance take control of him once again. "I skipped my class to come here and apologize."

Now Danforth skipping a class was nothing unexpected. I'm sure he had to do it numerous times, which would also explain why his grades weren't always the best. Granted, I knew all of his grades couldn't be that bad, especially if he didn't wish to give up his sports. And I'm sure he couldn't be as dumb as everyone assumed right away; everyone had their moments. But him actually coming here to see me when he should be in one of his classes. Surely this cannot be the same lunkhead basketball man that I've known since second grade. And he was actually going to apologize? This either had to be a dream, he couldn't be the real Chad, or I was clearly in an alternate universe.

"You? Apologize?" I finally asked doubtfully. "Shocker."

"I know." Chad nodded. "I meant about my comment yesterday."

"Oh, so you do remember." I said, feigning excitement. "I feel so honored."

"Do you now?" he asked with a smirk.

I turned to face him completely and raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "Mind getting on with it, Chad?" I asked. "I've got work to take care of."

Chad sighed, clearly irritated with my responses. Hey it's not my fault we're meant to be nothing more than enemies. Nothing more.... Not that I'm disappointed in that either, mind you.

"I was ticked off yesterday and I said some lame comments. I know that you were just passin by and happened to overhear me talkin so that's why you said what you did. And we got into our daily argument so I purposefully tried to catch you off guard by askin if you were in love with me, which I knew could never be true." he explained.

It was strange, to say the least. With his last sentence I thought I saw emotion in his eyes. Not anger or hatred. Disappointment, was it? Not possible. But still, he was apologizing about yesterday, something the Chad I knew would never do. This was all too good to be true.

"So when do you suddenly jump back with your surprise and take everything back?" I asked. "Honestly Chad, do you ever expect us to apologize to each other or even get along in the slightest bit?"

That annoyed him as well, from what I could tell. He sent a glare right back at me and his look seemed to stiffen. "My mistake." he said in his own icy tone before he walked away.

I saw him leave the library and my expression fell. Part of me was ready to go after him and apologize for my reaction now. It would only be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? But I just couldn't let myself do it. We were lucky enough that hardly anyone was in the library to see us interact. Without biting each others' heads off. If I followed him into the hallway it could only get worse. But I had to wonder, what possibly motivated him to come here just to talk to me about yesterday when he didn't completely seem like he wanted to? From my expertise on basketball boys and my own observational skills, it was as clear as the sun in the sky that something was going on.

But what I had no idea about was that something even bigger was about to unfold.

* * *

So you knew something had to go on during auditions. Little change in someone, don'tcha think? And there's only one thing that can happen after this, and that's the next song. I'm not sure what the plan is yet, since I have work after school tomorrow and can't make any promises on updates. But you know I'll put something up on Friday. So, for those of you who are lucky enough to be off I hope you're enjoying yourself (and this story as well). I've also been having thoughts of the next story but my ideas keep jumping around randomly and I have no idea what I'm thinking anymoe. Have you ahd that happen before? Just wondering bout that. o_0 Anyway I will let you be on your way now and I will shut up for the night...or next day...however long it's for.


	6. Before & During Stick to the Status Quo

Sorry I didn't get to update yesterday. I was stuck working an hour later at work and was exhausted by the time i got home. The guy I was working with pretty much did nothing the entire four or five hours and left as soon as it was five. And then I had to study for a writing quiz so it was not fun. So I will see how much I can update today and take it from there. Next week will be kinda hectic as well so the most I might be able to update is once a day. But we shall see how it goes, just as long as you are happy with the results.  
Disclaimer: I do not own HSM and I doubt I ever will.

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**Chapter Six: Before & During "Stick to the Status Quo"**

I can't believe it. I actually apologized. To Taylor McKessie of all people. What was even goin on in my head? It wasn't like she even accepted my apology. Who knew that girl was so cold? Ok, I kinda did.... But that's besides the point. Not my fault I didn't see her reaction comin. So I did the right thing for once. So what? It's not like I like her or anythin. What? I don't. I'm serious. How can you not believe me? Just because I'm goin back and forth between admitting that I like her and I don't like her? Oh.... Oops. But hey, you'll forget all about that once you find out what went down today.

See, I was walkin in school with Jason and Zeke. We were makin a few fart jokes and started talkin bout the next game. I told em how Troy told me he ditched practice yesterday cause he had homework to catch up on but they didn't believe me.

"C'mon man, there's no way Troy would purposefully ditch b-ball unless he was sick." Zeke said. "You sure you didn't misunderstand him?"

"Uh dude, I think I know when someone says somethin." I replied defensively.

"Right, so then you know that McKessie said she liked you." Zeke replied.

My eyes widened. No way she could've said that. I mean...could she? Maybe that meant....

"Dude, you serious?" I gasped.

Zeke raised an eyebrow from confusion and Jason looked more lost than usual. And there I was almost lookin excited. Was I missin somethin? Was I supposed to feel completely stupid?

"Uh dude..." Zeke said slowly, "I was being sarcastic."

Dang! I didn't even hear his sarcastic tone. I was that outta it, wasn't I? No, I wasn't really excited. C'mon, cut a guy some slack. "Oh..." I finally said slowly. "Um, yeah. I knew that."

"But you looked so psyched." Jason pointed at me. "Somethin you're not telling us?"

"What? No, of course not." I shook my head. "C'mon, you know me better than that. Why would I get all worked up over a nerd?" I looked away and walked into the school and sighed with relief. Close call, right? Look at all the trouble I almost got in cause I think she's cute. No, wait a minute...I didn't mean that. Oh you know what, just forget it. There were bigger problems now to worry about. And no, I'm not jokin. At first I thought it was all a joke cause Sharpay and Ryan looked freaked out. I first walked over when I heard Captain Clueless himself sound so excited.

"Maybe we're being punked. Maybe we're being filmed right now." he started blabbing. And then he grabbed his sister and shook her eagerly. "Maybe we'll get to meet Ashton!"

"Oh shut up Ryan." the Ice Princess replied, pushin him off of her.

I chuckled and walked over, wantin to see what was up. "Trouble in paradise?" I joked. Even Zeke and Jason thought it was all a joke, cause they were laughin when they walked over. But then my laughter died down. Like completely fainted, no joke. The twins were lookin at the freaky callback sheet for the deranged musical and I couldn't believe what I saw. It was completely ridiculous. Even more so than me thinkin I got a chance with Taylor.... I'm gettin off topic here. The point is, we all saw somethin on that sheet that we never wanted to see. For the lead roles, right under their names, was Troy's name. As in Troy Bolton. Captain of the basketball team. My best bud. The guy who was like my brother. I just stared at it in disbelief. How else would you stare at somethin like that anyway?

"What?" I finally asked. I hated to admit it, but Ryan had to be right this time. This had to be some kinda sick joke. There was no way Troy would ever go out for some musical or somethin. Trust me, those things never turn out well in the end. Why do you think we hardly ever hang out with the drama kids? They're not right, I'm tellin you. And a theater is no place to play basketball. Heck I almost got in trouble with Darbus for actually bringin my basketball to detention. That's gotta be a sheer sign that those two things don't mix.

I looked back and forth between the twins to see if this joke was on me. They were actors, as much as no one ever said they were. But it could be some act of revenge on me or somethin. I dunno, they can hold pretty strong grudges. But their faces stayed the same. They were just as much in shock as the rest of us were. It was so...well, weird. If they didn't plan this, then who did? I looked at the list again and saw that new girl's name on the list, too. She was gettin to Troy, I bet! She was tryin to snatch my best friend from me and brainwash him so he'd forget about his friends, his team, and his passions. Yes, as in basketball. It was all Troy ever thought about. And look where it got him today. And as his loyal best friend I would never let him throw all that away. I had to talk to him next chance I got. And now with a bunch of other people gatherin round the sheet to see for themselves, I knew I had to get outta there.

First I ran into the gym and looked around, thinkin Troy would be practicin his free throws or somethin. But it was like a ghost town in the gym. Totally deserted. Way outta the ordinary, if you ask me. There was no way I was gonna check the auditorium for him cause the only way I'd step foot in there is for an assembly. So the next best thing was to see if he got to homeroom early. Of course, still no Troy in sight. This was so whack. Every time your best friend comes at the worst time you wanna rip their head off, but then when you need to find them and start askin why their sportage is in jeopardy they're nowhere to be found. This could only mean one thing. I had to move on to the next best person. I saw her gettin pretty chummy with the new girl, so I'm willin to bet they're in tight. And plus, I could see if she had somethin to do with this. I'd get her to talk one way or another.

Luckily where she was there weren't any other people around. It was pretty deserted, except for her at her locker. This was perfect. Time to make my move. But what if she said no? What if I got turned down? By a nerd of all things? Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right.... No, it isn't. I ain't askin her out, I'm just askin her bout Troy. What was I thinkin? Ok on second thought, don't answer that.

"Yo McKessie." I finally called as I made my way over to her. I thought I saw her roll her eyes or somethin as she turned to me. Gees babe, don't sound too excited.

"What do you want, Chad?" she asked. "I don't particularly enjoy dealing with you and your shenanigans before homeroom."

"Ok first of all, that's a long old people word." I chuckled. Oh man, the things this girl says. "And another thing, unless you know what's goin on we got a problem."

"If this is about your and your posse of lunkhead basketball players then it's none of my concern." Taylor replied, closin her locker and practically glarin at me. "And I don't care what you think of my preferred language." she added. "I can use whatever words I desire, whether they sound old or not."

She turned and started walkin away, but I only smirked. Yeah, like I was gonna let her walk away that easily.

"So I guess then there's nothin to worry bout when it comes to your new best friend in cahoots with my best friend." I called out to her with a smile.

That seemed to get her to stop. She froze right in her tracks and slowly turned to me. Man, it was all done in slow mo. Just the way she turned and the look she gave me....

"Huh, what?" I asked, not hearin what she just asked. Yeah, like I was really starin at her and dazin off. Not.

"What did you just say?" she repeated.

"Check the callback sheet for the lame musical." I told her, pointing down the hall. "I just saw it for myself. Ice Princess and Captain Clueless were practically fainting over it. Jason and Zeke are still starin at it. The entire student body is rushin over to it just to see if it's really a joke or not. And Troy's name ain't the only one that's up there. Your new best friend has her name up there, too."

"But that's impossible." she shook her head. "Gabriella is clearly one of my Decathlon friends. There's no way she could ever be a...a..." She seemed to pause to get out the right word or somethin, "...a Sharpette!"

"Well if you don't believe me then look at the sheet for yourself." I insisted. "It's right there in bold and underlined proof on pink paper on the bulletin board."

"Even if what you say is true, why does this concern the both of us?" Taylor asked. "You make it sound like we're both in this."

"Well..." Ok, so maybe I did stammer a little. But she caught me off guard askin me that. I just thought that since both of our friends were in this mess it was our job to get em outta it. "Well...you wanna see your brainy friend interact with my athletic friend?"

Taylor rolled her eyes again. "You know what, just forget it. I'll check it out on my own during free period today and see it with my own eyes. Neither of us has to deal with it together. Look if it turns out to be that big of a deal _then_ come and talk to me. Specifically about that. But until that time comes..." I dunno why but she took a quick pause as she said that, "...then we'll just talk to Troy and Gabriella about it. We don't have to interact or anything. Much like we are now before someone catches us."

She turned on her heel and started walkin away again, but you really think that by now I was gonna let her leave without puttin up some kinda fight, or at least get the last word in?

"So then what other topics does that leave off?" I questioned slyly with a smile. Now I knew that would catch her off guard. McKessie never even saw it comin, cause she stopped walkin again. Only thing is that she didn't turn to look at me this time so I couldn't see her reaction. That really stunk; I wanted to see her face, like if it was as cute as when she got detention in homeroom (courtesy or herself, of course, not me). But even as Taylor walked away the smile was still on my face. That could only mean one thing.

She so wants me.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

It's official. By lunch at East High School, at exactly eleven fifty-two a.m., everything was completely out of the ordinary. I actually found out that one of my own had been harboring a secret for so long! Martha Cox loved to dance. Who would have ever hypothesized? Surely not any of her friends. It came as such a shock. When I first walked into the cafeteria I saw everyone actually mingling with people outside of their usual groups. I have to say, that caught me more than just off guard. Martha was actually dancing with some of the cheerleaders. One of the skaters was actually playing an instrument (quite well, I might add). Something had to be wrong. Incredibly wrong.

But perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me rewind a bit for you so my point can be fully explained. The madness actually started that morning after I walked over to my locker. I could hear a few other peers rushing down the hall, sounding like they were dying to check something out. At the time I had been in a deep conversation with Timothy Martin, one of the only male Decathlon members, about an Advanced Statistics class that could be given throughout the interval of our next summer vacation.

"Wait, so you're saying that nearly every spot in the summer class is still available?" I inquired with a cocked eyebrow.

"My thoughts exactly." Timothy nodded. "I mean, who wouldn't want to learn about such an advanced math subject? And when the course would look so great on a college application."

"And serve as at least three more credits for college, which means that's three less credits we would have originally needed to worry about." I added, seeing his exact point. To me, it made no sense. Math was something used in our everyday lives so it should naturally be something that people should strive to learn about, not complain about and begin to fall asleep right after they learn two plus two equals four.

"I know!" he exclaimed. "And-"

He was cut off by the squeals of head cheerleader Ami Jones as she ran past us. "Hey nerds!" she called, "If you actually wanna stay in tune with something then you gotta come see this!"

I raised my other eyebrow as the curly-haired cheerleader ran down the hall, apparently in the same direction that everyone else had been running in. Yet I was still insulted at the title she gave us. So we were nerds. So what? That didn't mean she had to sound so stuck-up and snobby about it. Especially towards me. Honestly, what is that girl's problem?

Timothy seemed a bit more curious than I was, and not merely just by the cheerleader. "Should we go check it out?" he wondered.

"You go." I said, turning back to him. "I've still got some books to gather for my morning classes."

"Well, ok. Only if you're sure..." he shrugged as he began taking his way off. "See you in lunch, Taylor."

I waved and politely smiled as my teammate ran off. I could only ponder what there could be such a commotion about. It couldn't have been something bad, could it? No, I highly doubt that. There was probably an exaggeration when it came to communication as the minor message was passed on. I've gone through enough Telephone games in elementary school to know that. So I turned back to my locker and just continued gathering my books. I merely assumed that once everything was all sorted out about this 'big news' that everything would return to its usual normalcy. And unfortunately, I was incorrect.

"Yo McKessie!"

I turned my head sharply to see none other than Chad Danforth coming my way. Why does he always keep running into me? Not that I completely have a problem with it. He just always says things that happen to get on my nerves. And that's being general and vague. And trust me, that does not mean I like him. Even if I am lying about it. I mean.... You know what, let's just get on with it.

I sighed and rolled my eyes as I completely faced him, putting the last of my needed books into my backpack. "What do you want, Chad?" I asked. "I don't particularly enjoy dealing with your shenanigans before homeroom."

And then he just burst out laughing. Right in front of me. I'm not kidding; he was really laughing at me. "Ok first of all, that's an old people word." he said in between his laughs. "And another thing. If you know what's goin on then we got a problem."

"If this is about your and your posse of lunkhead basketball players then it's none of my concern." I replied as I closed my locker. I made sure to glare at him in case my message didn't get through the first time. "And I don't care what you think of my preferred language." I added. "I can use whatever words I desire, whether they sound old or not." I shrugged and turned on my heel, ready to walk away. Of course I was smiling to myself, knowing that it had to put him in his place. I don't care if he thought I sounded like a senior citizen. Wait...Chad thought of me as an old lady. Wow, that really can put a downer on a girl. And last I checked, I was five months younger than him (five months, twenty-two days, and nine hours, but really who's counting?). But I wasn't going to let him see that he actually hurt my feelings. I've made it my personal goal to make sure that no one does that to me or knows they did. So I could complain about it later; right now I had a homeroom to be early for.

"So I guess then there's nothin to worry bout when it comes to your new best friend in cahoots with my best friend." He called.

I could tell he was smiling, knowing that it got me to stay longer just so he could insult me or something, but that didn't matter at this point. I had to turn around and find out what he was really saying. There was just no way. "What did you say?" I asked.

Chad seemed completely out of it. I don't know why but he just started staring into space. He finally snapped out of it and I repeated my question. That seemed to snap him out of it, because he started explaining.

"Check the callback sheet for the lame musical. I just saw it for myself. Ice Princess and Captain Clueless were practically fainting over it. Jason and Zeke are still starin at it. The entire student body is rushin over to it just to see if it's really a joke or not. And Troy's name ain't the only one that's up there. Your new best friend has her name up there, too." He pointed down the hall as he said it all. I wasn't going to believe it, of course. This had to be a trick to catch me off my guard. But on the other hand, that would explain why everyone was running over there.

"But that's impossible." I shook my head, trying to be rational about the whole thing. "Gabriella is clearly one of my Decathlon friends. There's no way she could ever be a...a..." I paused to force out the right word, "...a Sharpette!" Like I said, I would never believe it.

"Well if you don't believe me then look at the sheet for yourself." Chad insisted. "It's right there in bold and underlined proof on pink paper on the bulletin board."

But there seemed more to it than that. Like there was something missing, for all I could figure. "Even if what you say is true, why does this concern the both of us? You make it sound like we're both in this." And it was true. This was his problem, as far as Troy was concerned. My only issue would be getting to the bottom of Gabriella's end. You know what I mean. That would mean talking to Gabriella herself and find out what she was hiding from me. How could she be fully accepted into such a harsh school if she kept secrets from her new friends?

"Well..." What I didn't understand was why he was stuttering. That was not like Chad at all. Maybe what he said was true; it would explain why he was a bit off at the moment. "Well...you wanna see your brainy friend interact with my athletic friend?"

Now that almost sounded like an insult. What was he trying to insinuate? I couldn't let him just talk like that. It was so rude. I can't believe that would actually come from Chad.... Oh wait, I can.

I rolled my eyes at his annoyance. "You know what, just forget it. I'll check it out on my own during free period today and see it with my own eyes. Neither of us has to deal with it together. Look if it turns out to be that big of a deal _then_ come and talk to me. Specifically about that. But until that time comes..." And part of me, just a small part, was hoping that would happen, "...then we'll just talk to Troy and Gabriella about it. We don't have to interact or anything. Much like we are now before someone catches us." I started walking away again, not wanting to hear anymore of this. Chad has said enough. But that didn't seem to stop him just yet.

"So then what other topics does that leave off?"

I stopped dead in my tracks at his question. He sounded so coy about it, like he was just waiting for that to come out. I couldn't even turn to look at his face. Mine was full of...I don't even know how to describe it. Horror? Surprise? Joy? No, not joy! Furthest thing from joy! One thing I knew for sure was that I had to get away from there and see for myself if what Chad said was true.

So during my free period I did a little investigation. I made my way to the bulletin board, which luckily by then was completely deserted. The other students must have already looked at it. And now it was my turn to find out for sure if Chad spoke the truth for once. I took a deep breath as I finally stopped in front of the sheet and briefly skimmed it, to see if any names looked familiar. And they did. The names "Bolton" and "Gabriella" stuck out like a pair of sore thumbs. My eyes widened and I read the sheet once more, much more slowly this time.

"We are pleased to announce that the lead roles of Arnold and Minnie will be decided during callbacks Friday afternoon at three-thirty after school's end." I read aloud, though mostly to myself. "The pairs up for the lead roles are Sharpay Evans and Ryan Evans, and Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez."

My eyes widened at the fine print. So Chad wasn't lying. It was all right there! Now I knew I had to talk to Gabriella about it. First thing during lunch. My one priority. That and seeing if Chad liked me...I mean, that and seeing if I could get into that summer class.

So that brings me to lunch. I had just found out some of the respective students' secrets and the cafeteria was going mad. It even looked like Chad was talking back to Zeke about something. Surely that was I sight I never expected to see. I was a bit taken back, to say the least, and then I turned to see Gabriella walk in. This woman had some explaining to do and I was not about to let her off the hook. But before i could even get the chance to say anything, she clutched her lunch tray and looked at me, perplexed.

"Why is everyone staring at you?" she wondered.

"No me." I shrugged innocently, knowing that this would assist her in getting the message. "You."

"Because of the callbacks?" Gabriella gasped. I don't know how or why, but suddenly there was nothing but fear and worry in her eyes. "I can't have people staring at me, I really can't." She tried rushing out of the cafeteria with her lunch and I followed her, hoping to get to the bottom of this. And how my support for her, of course. But that chance didn't exactly come. Sharpay was coming down the stairs from her own lunch table, her brother loyally following her. And before Gabriella or I knew it, Gabriella's chili fries flew up into the air. My mouth gaped open, seeing how she nearly lost her balance over spilled milk or some similar beverage. And then just like that the fries landed on - you guessed it - Sharpay. She let out this blood-curdling scream that stunned the whole cafeteria.

"I am so sorry!" Gabriella apologized profusely, trying to scrape the fries off of her now enemy's blouse.

But I couldn't see Gabriella get into any more trouble than she must be right now; I wasn't that kind of person. I grabbed her by the waist and forcibly dragged her away from the scene before Sharpay could do or say anything else and luckily, before Ms. Darbus stormed in and demanded to know what was going on. I sighed with relief. We were out of the woods. For now. But then I realized that something really was going on and Chad and I had to be the ones to keep an eye on everything. I could already tell that Troy and Gabriella were getting themselves into a huge mess and I knew that it had to be Troy's fault, though I did know enough to hear Gabriella's side of the story before jumping to any further conclusions, or so I'd like to think.

But even as I dragged Gabriella away, I couldn't help but glance briefly at Chad as he held Troy back so he couldn't go any further into the commotion. I sent Chad a glance and somehow, we both knew that something had to be done.

* * *

So this chapter turned out to be just a little longer than I thought. How did it turn out? Unfortunately I can't get any more in tonight but I will put up something before work tomorrow. You will see Chad's reaction to the whole "Stick to the Status Quo" thing and see what happens with him and Taylor while Troy and Gabriella are on the rooftop garden talking about kindergarten. And tomorrow I will also be adding a preview to one of my stories where the previews are because I randomly got an idea as I was typing this. xD So until tomorrow, happy Friday everyone!


	7. Lunchtime

Ok so finally, the next chapter of my Deleted HSM Scenes. I have had a faint idea of where to go with this so let's see how this goes, shall we? Sorry for not updating this in like weeks, but I've been having major writer's block with like everything and was lucky enough to get two oneshots up. Hopefully it'll all pass soon and I'll be ready to write some more. I'm thinking of putting up a poll for a future story but I'm not sure yet - just saying in advance. Now, enough waiting!  
And HSM is still not mine, but the DVD is! xD

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Lunchtime (After "Stick to the Status Quo")**

I pulled Troy over to the side as fast as I could. Luckily we were outta Darbus' sight and could only hear Sharpay's screeching. What was that chick's problem? I already told Troy that he couldn't get involved. There was just too much drama - even for high school. And lemme tell you, this was just gettin ridiculous! The brainiacs loved to dance, the skaters played some musical instrument...and Zeke was baking! Baking, I tell ya! Tell me that doesn't sound right. I and the rest of the team tried tellin him that he should stick to the hoops cause it was what he was good at. Not some creamed gruel or whatever he called it!

I stole a quick glance from Taylor, who luckily, was dragging her new friend to the other side of the cafeteria. That was good; it'd give us a chance to knock some sense into these two. As soon as Troy and I stopped where we were, my head shot over to him when I heard him ask something.

"What's up?"

"What's up?" I repeated. "Oh let's see...you missed free period workout yesterday to try out for some heinous musical. And now suddenly people are...confessing." My eyes were wide and everythin. All of this that we went through for like two years already was bein thrown way off balance. But Troy...oh Troy...he didn't look like he believed a word of it! From me, his best friend! Can it get any more stupid? What is his deal all of a sudden? If it was proof he needed, I was gonna give him proof. And my proof was walkin right by me. I grabbed Zeke by the shoulder and pulled him over. "Zeke is baking...créme brulée!"

But Troy didn't seem surprised at all. He just turned to Zeke like nothin was even wrong. "Oh, what's that?"

I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes. Was he that delusional?

Zeke seemed more than happy to answer, "Oh it's a creamy custardlike filling with a caramelized surface. It's very satisfying."

"Shut up Zeke!" I yelled. I don't care how interested he was in this or anything. I didn't care about his stupid creamed gruel or whatever he said it was! I pushed Zeke away and pulled Troy over to an empty table. I sat down in the seat beside him, ready to get some sense knocked into him. "Do you even see what's happening? Our team is coming apart because of your singing thing. Even the drama geeks and the brainiacs suddenly think that they can...talk to us!" Ok, so maybe I didn't completely mind about the brainiacs, so long as the main brainiac talking to us was Taylor. Ok, so maybe we mainly communicated by arguing, but I really think that if this is gonna happen like this...oh what the firetruck am I sayin? Focus, Chad! Focus on getting Troy to see the big picture! I pointed to the skaters for extra emphasis. "The skater dudes are mingling. People suddenly think that they can do other stuff. Ok? Stuff that's _not their stuff_!" I knew Troy was ready to counter, but I wasn't about to let him convince me otherwise. I opened my mouth again before he could say anything. I pointed to the drama kids table before pushing an empty food tray away from me. "They've got you thinking about show tunes when we've got a playoff game next week!"

Not even givin it another minute, I stormed outta the cafeteria. I wasn't even hungry anymore after all that went down. I'm serious. Baking basketball players? Musical skaters? Dancing nerds? What was this, some cheesy Disney movie with a message? I just couldn't take it anymore! Somethin had to be done, and at this rate there was only one other person to turn to. Cause now the sad part is that I don't even think I can rely on my best friend. Not with the truth or whatever's goin down or anything. He's got his mind focused on somethin musical instead of somethin athletic and suddenly that's all he cares about! Troy had to be reminded of his place. As soon as possible.

So, I waited a couple of classes to put my plan into action. And with the halls bein completely deserted it was perfect. All I had to do was making sure no one was watchin, and then slip away. So I got next to a janitor's closet and quietly got in. All I had to do then was wait, just as soon as that bell rang. Now you know me, I'm not some kinda impatient person. Ok fine, maybe sometimes I am, but that's not the point. I kept the door open just a crack so I could see what - or rather who - I was lookin for. Then I spotted her. I squinted, then a few seconds later...BAM! Grabbed her and pulled her right into the closet! I turned on the light switch and tried to keep myself from laughin at her reaction. She was just pretendin to be angry. How cute was that? No wait...no, that face was not cute and she was not cute! C'mon, you're not really buyin all that stuff I said before, are ya? Oh just forget it!

"What are you doing, Danforth?" she demanded. "We are locked in a closet!"

"I can see that, captain obvious." I told her, rollin my eyes. "And we got a good reason to be locked in here. And before you say anythin, no, it's not to start kissing and sayin how we secretly like each other for years." Oh snap...I did not just say that. I mean, I didn't...well, not completely....

Taylor blinked, almost like she was caught of guard. And trust me, that girl's never got her guard down. "Good...because that's the last thing on my mind." she said almost too quickly. Then she shook her head and got all cold on me again. "Look whatever it is you want, you're not getting it. I have a class to get to." She tried to leave, but I grabbed her wrist and kept her in her place.

"Ok did you not see the madness in the cafeteria before?" I demanded. looking her dead in the eyes. Oh man, those eyes were even browner than I thought! No wait, getting back to business! "Clearly we gotta do somethin. And if we don't do whatever that somethin is soon then everything goes down the drain. The basketball team's chance of winning the championships, your school decathy-thingy's chance of winning, and you losin your only friend."

"I resent that!" she retorted, soundin angry. "The Decathlon team is my friends. And it's Scholastic Decathlon, lunkhead. Get it right for once." Taylor sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. Dang she did that a lot around me! "Look, I've said it before and I'll say it again. We are not doing anything. This does not involve the both of us. If it gets worse than this, then come talk to me. And I doubt it'll become more urgent than it is now. So you take care of Troy, I'll take care of Gabriella. Before we know it everything will be back to normal and you can get out of my life."

I let go of her wrist and took a step back. So that's what she thought of me? She didn't want me in her life? Then why was she even botherin to argue with me...? Oh wait, I think I get it. That's exactly _why_ she argues with me all the time. Cause she wants nothing to do with me. And after I went to all the trouble to apologize to her last time for opening my mouth in the first place. I just couldn't believe it. So much for thinkin she ever wanted me. Or anything like that. So you can stop rubbin everythin I say in my face now.

"Chad wait. That's not what-" she started.

"You know what, forget it McKessie." I shook my head, goin back to the last names. "I'll remember what you said. Only go to you if it gets worse from here. Got it. See ya then." I didn't even give her the chance to say anythin else before I walked out and closed the door behind me. The halls were pretty quiet now, and I didn't even care that I was probably late for class again. I just kept playin everythin in my head, and it wasn't pretty.

Then from the corner of my eye I could see that new girl, the one that was so much trouble, walkin past me. But I didn't even bother to find out what was goin on.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

"Is Sharpay really, really mad?" Gabriella wondered. "I said I was sorry."

I removed my attention from my sandwich and looked at Gabriella. The commotion had finally calmed down in the cafeteria and we were eating like normal students. Lucky for me, I got Gabriella away from Sharpay before too much of the explosion could catch up with us. But then again, that was just the drama queen for you.

"No one has beaten Sharpay for a musical since kindergarten." I told her. And it was true. I do admire Gabriella's modestly, I'll admit to that, but she still had so much to learn. And one of the most important things to learn was to never get in Sharpay's way. She enjoyed the limelight, she desired center stage, she craved attention, and she despised competition. And Gabriella was violating everything Sharpay stood for.

"I wasn't trying to beat anyone out." she replied. "We weren't even auditioning. We were just...singing."

A bit hard to believe. Coincidentally singing in the auditorium around the time of auditions? Not very likely. But she did seem honest about it. The only thing that could mean was...wait a minute.... Could it be possible that when I was walking past the auditorium that day it was Troy and Gabriella I had heard singing? That couldn't be possible. It was quite impossible. Jocks don't sing. They can't sing. And brainiacs...we don't belong on stage, that's not our area of expertise. That's not our place. Maybe singing in the shower, alright. But never on stage, for a musical of all things.

I gathered myself together fairly quickly and politely shook my head, knowing I had to get it through to Gabriella's head somehow. "You won't convince Sharpay of that. I'm telling you, if that girl could play Romeo and Juliet, her own brother would be hissed out of the job." Yes, hisssed out of the job. Like a snake pushing another creature out of her territory. Although the correct term would be 'aced out of a job'. But I'm sure you know what I mean.

"I told you, it just...happened." Gabriella confessed. "But I like it. A lot."

I looked at her doubtfully and shook my head. To like something that much...I can't even describe what level that would be taken to. But then she continued, as though it was something that had been eating away at her at least all day.

"Do you ever feel like there's this whole other person inside of you, just looking for a way to come out?" she wondered.

I thought about it for a minute. Now I would never admit to it out loud, but sometimes I have wondered what it would be like to shine in something other than academics. And if I could actually do it alongside...Danforth. But I said I wouldn't admit it out loud. And I didn't. So that secret goes straight into the vault, understand?

I just shook my head in response to her. "Not really, no." I couldn't help but giggle at the thought, just stringing her along so she'd assume I gave her me decisive answer. I looked up to hear the bell ringing, meaning we had to get to our next class. "Let's go." I told Gabriella, picking up the remainder of my bagged lunch and heading out of the cafeteria.

Now I had assumed that lunch would be the worst of everything. But unfortunately, I was incorrect. It only got worse from there. And I'm not talking about the callbacks dilemma. It was a few classes later, about a fourth of the day left to go through. On the bright side I did have gym class, which meant that I would merely have to go to the locker room and chance into my gym attire and then meet the rest of the class in the gym, where we would start ten or so minutes into the period. The down side to that was that it was gym. In other words, we could be late stepping into the locker room, but if gym weren't a pass/fail class it would be my lowest mark.

Like I was saying, I was on my way towards the gym. I was going through the crowded hallway, like any other day, until something out of the ordinary happened. A hand came from out of nowhere and grabbed me by the shoulder. And before I could say or do anything else, I was literally dragged out of the hallway and into a janitor's closet. And wouldn't you know it...I came nearly face to face with Danforth! The two of us...locked in a closet...a very small space together...in near darkness.... This had secret love scene written all over it!

But I wasn't about to let him know I was hoping - I mean thinking - that was the case. "What are you doing, Danforth? We are locked in a closet!"

"I can see that, captain obvious." Was his reply as he turned on the light switch. And with that small amount of light I could see him rolling his eyes. Such a deep shade of brown, perhaps somewhere in the shade of sierra or terra cotta, or were they a dark hazel...? Oh snap out of it, McKessie! "And we got a good reason to be locker in here." he continued. "And before you say anythin, no, it's not to start kissing and sayin how we secretly liked each other for years."

I nearly froze right where I was. How did he know I was...? No, he couldn't know! Why on Earth would I even think that about him? I had to make him think...scratch that, let him know...that was nowhere near what I thought it would be. "Good, because that was the furthest thing from my mind." I lied a little too quickly. I was hoping that he didn't catch on. And I didn't give him the chance to. The only way to prove that I was serious was to give him my McKessie Ice once more. "Look whatever it is you want, you're not getting it. I have a class to go to." I tried to make a getaway, but before I knew it Chad took me by the wrist and spun me back to face him. And right into his hazel-brown eyes of all other places! That was worse than getting wrapped in his curls like usual.

"Ok did you not see the madness in the cafeteria?" he insisted. "Clearly we gotta do somethin. And if we don't do thatever that somethin is soon then everything goes down the drain. The basketball team loses the championships, your school decathy-thingy's chance of winning, and you losing your only friend."

Oh he did not just say that!

"I resent that!" I argued, ready to pull away from him...you know, if his grip wasn't so tight. "My friends are the ones on the Decathlon. And it's Scholastic Decathlon, lunkhead. Can you ever get it right?" I rolled my eyes, knowing I had to set Chad straight once and for all. "Look, I've said it before and I'll say it again. We are not doing anything. This does not involve the both of us. If things get worse than they currently are, then come talk to me. But I doubt it'll even become slightly more urgent than it is now. So you take care of Troy and I'll take care of Gabriella. Before you know it everything will be back to normal and you can get out of my life."

At that instant, Chad let go of my arm and took a step back. I didn't even take the time, at least for the moment, to notice his look. All I could think of was the look I must have had on my face. Or at least what I was feeling. There was no way I just told him I wanted him out of my life...that was nowhere near the truth...that was the absolute last thing on my mind. Chad may be an annoying lunkheaded jock but I would never want him out of my life, even if I completely despised the boy. And now what was I making him think? Did he even have the same thoughts about me? Was he thinking that he wanted me out of his life now? I took one second to look at him and I instantly knew I said the wrong thing. Even if I couldn't see his exact face, I knew I said the worst thing at the wrost time. I had to set things right.

"Chad wait." I said, trying to stop him from doing anything or going anywhere. "That's not what-"

I tried to be soft and gentle, but he didn't even give me a chance to be. Chad just shook his head. "You know what, forget it McKessie." he told me. And that's when I knew it was going downhill. Very rarely would we ever call each other by our first names. So now any chance of us doing that more than once in a blue moon was gone. "I'll remember what you said. Only go back to you if it gets worse from here. Got it. See ya then."

And before I had the chance to try and say anything else he was gone. He walked out. He left me alone in the now dark janitor's closet. Never have I been less grateful for my icy family trait. I sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall. So now I had to sit back and wait until things went completely downhill with the callbacks and the status quo...I had to wait until the whole school was inches away from rock bottom just to have another chance to have an actual conversation with Chad. And now I didn't even care that I might actually be late to class for once in my life. There was only one thing I was thinking about now.

Please just let everything get worse!

* * *

A little more drama in this chapter than I planned. But you probably know what comes after this part, right? Oh yeah, it gets worse. Bad enough for them to make their super secret plan. So I'm not sure how I'm going to do that yet, if it's making the plan in one chapter and then implementing the plan in the next or if it'll all be mushed into one chapter. So again, sorry for the wait with this story. But, this is all from the first movie, right? So keep remembering how it all ends! It's only a matter of time before they become C&T. And if I can't combine their names by the end of this year, I'm gonna make it a new year's resolution to make sure I do!


	8. The Plan

Once again, I apologize for not updating in a while. When was the last time I even updated this, like two weeks ago? That's besides the point. I think I'll keep this chapter nice and short for the time being cause I was debating whether or not to put the whole thing with the plan into the same chapter or to divide it up with the planning of the plan and then actually implementing the plan. That makes sense, right? Anyway, now get ready to see how they thought of it all and what provoked them...I guess.  
And for the record, I still don't own HSM.

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**Chapter Eight: The Plan  
**

I tracked down Troy in the library the next day. Things were movin by pretty fast around here. And it was only a matter of time before the championship game. And I knew I had to snap Troy outta it and get his head in the game. I mean really, we can't get too far without him. I'd love to take the credit for our victories, but I'm not the captain, unfortunately. Maybe one day...just not yet. But before that day even comes, I gotta snap our current captain back into the hoops if you know what I mean. So the first thing was first. Jump down his throat with twenty-five thousand questions and get to the bottom of this. Besides if it gets any worse, I have to talk to Taylor so we can figure out what to do about these two. And believe me, after what she said yesterday, I'm not interested. Well...much. Oh just forget it already!

"What spell has this elevated IQ temptress-girl cast that suddenly makes you wanna be in a musical?" I questioned as soon as i found Troy in one of the aisles. I didn't even know what he was doin, I just knew he was lookin for somethin. Well heads up Troy, you ain't findin anything any time soon.

But no, he had to go and act all cool-guy about it. "I just did it. Who cares?" he asked.

No, he did not just ask me that. How could he ask me that? Did he forget who the heck he was talkin to? "Who cares?" I gasped. I grabbed his shoulder so he could face me. "How about your most loyal best friend?"

And then before Troy could even answer, the librarian came over like I did somethin wrong. I get that look from my mom five times a day, I don't need it from the librarian, too. "Quiet in here, Mr. Danforth." she shushed me.

I immediately pointed to Troy, tryin to pull my little innocent act. "It's him Ms. Falstaff, not me." I waited till she walked away, then went back to dealin with Troy. Hope she doesn't stick her pointy nose in this guy's business again. Now where were we? Oh yeah."You're a hoops dude, not a musical singer person." I told Troy, spinning the ball on my finger and then handing it to him for emphasis. But instead he just walked on down the row of books and tossed my ball back at me. What, was I really that annoying? Nah, it couldn't be. "Have you ever seen Michael Crawford on a cereal box?" I asked, hopin this would make him get this message.

"Who's Michael Crawford?" He asked, startin to look through that big directory book at the end of the aisle.

"Exactly my point." I exclaimed. But Troy still wasn't listenin. He really didn't know who Michael Crawford was? Well, looks like I had to give him one of the few musical lessons I ever learned in my sixteen to seventeen years of existence. What? I am technically almost seventeen, you know. Anyway, I put my basketball down on the book so he couldn't turn to the next page. Troy looked at me. Guess he knew now he had no choice but to listen.

"He was the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway." I told him. "And my mom's seen that musical twenty-seven times and put Michael Crawford's picture in our refrigerator. Not on it, _in_ it." I'm not exaggerating, either. I have no idea what my mom's deal is. She's not a completely musical person either. She's practically tone-deaf. I think the only song I ever heard her sing on key was Cruella DeVille, and that was when she was sick and her voice sounded way deeper! But, I'm gettin ahead of myself. I took my ball off the book. "So my point is, if you play basketball you'll end up on a cereal box. Sing in musicals, and you'll end up inside my mom's refrigerator." I concluded.

But Troy still didn't see my point. "Why did she put his picture in her refrigerator?" he asked.

"One of her crazy diet ideas." I dismissed. Man will he ever see where I'm comin from? "Look I do not attempt to understand the female mind, Troy." I paused when I saw Ms. Falstaff look back at us again. "It's frightening territory." I added more quietly as I followed him to one of the seats he'd gone to at a table. But see, this is exactly why I had as little to do with girls as possible. They were just so complicated. Why spend any time thinkin about them at all? And no, I am not contradicting myself by suddenly thinkin about Taylor or some other girl.

I sat down next to Troy and put my basketball on the table. "How can you expect the rest of us to be focused on the game if you're off somewhere in leotards singing in 'Twinkle Town'?" I continued.

Troy seemed like he was the one doin the dismissing now. "No one ever said anything about leotards."

"Not yet my friend, but just wait." I said quickly while I had the chance. And now to wrap up the ham and drag him to the three-point line. "We need you, captain. Big time."

And then, as if right on cue, behold Ms. Falstaff! "Mr. Danforth!" she scolded.

I held up my hands in surrender. "I tried to tell him, Ms. Falstaff." I said innocently. And then to wrap it all up, I added in, "I really tried." I shook my head at Troy in disappointment and left the library. There had to be another way about this. I had to go to the heavy artillery. Cause now whether I liked it or not, I had to go to Taylor. I just needed me some extra backup.

At least it wasn't too hard to find that backup. Jason and Zeke were in the gym workin out as usual. I'd say they were gettin somewhere but...well let's be honest. They're only third and forth best on the team as far as I can tell. I just shook my head at them and walked in.

"Dudes, we got a problem." Were the first words outta my mouth.

"What? Practice is canceled?" Jason asked.

"No, worse than that." I shook my head. "Troy's gone loco on us."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Loco?"

Dang! I had to stay up late watching that Spanish soap opera...I mean, Spanish sports report on ESPN last night. Silly, silly me. "I mean, he's flunking outta the hoops game just to sing in a pair of leotards going all Twinkle Towny-like." I said.

"Wait, our Troy?" Zeke gasped. "As in our friend Troy? Our captain? Our teammate? Our peer? Our-"

"Yeah, we get it Zeke." I rolled my eyes. Man, this is what baking did to the guy. So stupid! "And yes, it's that Troy. He's gonna skip out on the game just to go to the callbacks with that new girl."

"But Troy would never do that." Jason said.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." I said sarcastically. "But I thought wrong. And we gotta snap him out of it."

"Should we try talking to him?" Zeke suggested.

"Don't you think I've tried that already?" I snapped.

Zeke took a step back. "Dude...attitude much today?"

Who, me? Who was he even possibly thinkin about? Yeah, like I got any attitude at all. I mean, it's not like I'm stressed about the game if we're short a player who just happens to be our captain. Or about Troy actually choosing that weird new girl over us, his best friends. Or about actually workin with Taylor after she broke my heart..I mean, stooped even lower than either of us ever did with each other.

"Forget the attitude." I snapped. "Do you want Troy back on this team or do you wanna lose the championships to West High again?"

"He does have a point..." Jason said slowly. I smiled at this. Finally, someone who understands! Which is weird considering it's Jason....

"I guess..." Zeke added uneasily. "But what can we do?"

"There's only one person we can go to." I sighed, shaking my head. "Get outta uniform, boys. We're headin to the Chem lab."

Jason and Zeke looked at me wide-eyed. But what choice did we have? I knew it was our only option. All we had to do was get in, strategize, and get out. That simple, right? Well, it seemed that way until Jason and Zeke were about to chance. Then the cheerleaders Danielle Clements and Ami Jones came from outta nowhere. Just our luck.

"So, three of East's best players are going to the Science department." Danielle said in her shrilly squeaky voice, twirlin her blond hair. Man, blonds were so overrated. Well, no offense to the decent blonds out there. I'm talkin blonds like Danielle and Sharpay.

"Maybe we are, maybe we're not. "I said casually, puttin my ball under my arm. "What's it to you?"

"Well we could conveniently tell everyone..." Ami started.

"Ok what's it gonna take you to keep quiet?" I demanded.

Ami seemed to know what she wanted easily. "I want Jason to take me to the afterparty if we win the big game." she said, folding her arms.

I was about to answer, but Jay had to go and stop me. "What if I wanted to go with someone else?" he asked.

"Them dump her." Ami shrugged.

"And if we lose?" he asked.

"Yeah, good one." she chuckled.

Jason opened his mouth again, but this time I beat him to the punch. "Done." I sent Jason a look, tellin him not to argue with me. At least not now. Besides, maybe Ami'll get sick that night. Or if we have to we could always pull a little joke to stop her from comin to school that day...but that's a different story isn't it? I looked at Danielle, knowin she wasn't gonna keep her mouth shut if there wasn't somethin in it for her either. "And what's your price?" I asked her coolly.

Danielle was deep in thought for a while now. Please don't let her ask me out, please don't let her ask me out. I raised an eyebrow when Ami whispered somethin in her ear. Danielle smiled, but I was freakin out now. Oh man, what were they thinkin? Please don't set me up with one of them! Tell me to kiss a dog or somethin instead if I have to!

"You have to ask the science nerd to the afterparty if you win the game." Danielle said. "That McKessie girl."

She was jokin right? She seriously wanted me to ask Taylor to the afterparty? If we won? After what she said to me? What was I supposed to say to that? If I said yes too quickly, they'd think somethin was up. But if I said no way, what if they tried settin me up with someone else? That wasn't Taylor? Oh man, I had to think and fast!

"And...if I refuse?" I finally asked.

"We say you three are associated with a bunch of nerds and cuddle up with your books at night sucking your thumbs." Danielle answered.

I exchanged looks with the guys. That was a joke, right? Was that really the best they got? Apparently not, cause even Ami was lookin at the girl with a weird look. She was about to open her mouth, but I stepped in.

"You know what? I'll just save you the trouble of thinkin up another lie." I decided quickly.

"So you'll take McKessie to the party?" Ami asked. "And Jason will take me?"

"Fine, fine. Done." I rolled my eyes.

"Then consider your secret kept." Ami smiled. She and Danielle walked out, but not before Ami got all flirty with Jason. "Wear something nice, Jason. No red and no green. I don't want you to clash with my hair."

Jason blinked once they were gone. "Are those two actually normal or were they dropped off here by neighboring UFO's from Pluto and Mars?" he asked.

Zeke and I looked at each other, then back at Jason. I just shook my head and pat him on the shoulder. "Don't quit your day job man." I told him before headin to the Chem lab.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

I tapped my pencil on one of the desks in the chemistry lab. I couldn't help it, I just had a lot on my mind. Honestly, can you blame me? It's not even the schoolwork or dealing with everyone for once. I suppose my suspicions were wrong from the beginning. perhaps the changes that were occurring here at East High were for the worse rather than the better. There didn't seem to be a greater good anymore. And I've seen first hand people becoming torn apart. I could already feel a rift growing with my Decathlon team. By now they were all more than aware of Martha's passion for hip-hop dancing. They no longer seemed interested in talking to her. I have to admit, even I was a bit reluctant to make daily conversation with her. I just kept assuming that she'd start talking about dancing instead of the chemical equation we were currently studying up on.

And obviously we are not the only group suffering. Numerous other groups appeared to be parting ways as well. I recall that morning two of the skaters were on their own while another was mingling within that group and looking at the skaters. Think about it: three skaters, two departed, one in the norm. The only reason two of the skaters seemed to be speaking with one another was because one of them was even more clueless than Ryan trying to spell out the first five letters of valetudinarianism. What? It was a word in a spelling bee competition last year. I'm getting off topic here now.

If you're still doubtful of my observations then you'll most likely believe me about Gabriella. We had intentionally planned on meeting early this morning to discuss our PreCalculous homework last night. You know, compare thoughts and answers and see things from another's prospective. Simple, right? Sadly, that was not the case. I had been waiting for Gabriella at my locker when I saw her nearly rush by ten minutes late. She didn't even have much of a chance to explain her rush. I got most of three sentences in, and fairly short ones at that. First there was the greeting, which Gabriella responded with what seemed such a quick "hi Taylor, bye Taylor". But you know me, I wasn't going to let anyone get away without a decent explanation. So I asked her what was going on and if she'd care to share. That was sentence number two. Gabriella claimed she couldn't talk at the moment, that she was late to see Kylie or some other name along those lines. Finally, I inquired if I would see her at lunch. Her only response was, "later". Do you see my point now? I have not seen a school this crazy since that Black History Month episode of the Proud Family. Oh come on, it was a rerun and a pretty good episode. How many of you really heard of Angela Evan Davis or Shirley Schism (I never did quite catch the correct spellings of their names, however)? And for the record, I'm fairly certain they were real people or else they couldn't have been mentioned alongside Bessy Coleman or Madam CJ Walker. Oh, I'm getting off topic again! Why do I keep doing that?

Well...I suppose you have caught me...a little. I can't help it, I still feel guilty about what I said to Chad yesterday. I know we have our ups and down, and some more downs, and even more downs, but we're usually not a block of ice towards each other. And I completely overstepped my boundaries when I pretty much told him to get out of my life. It wasn't meant to come out like that. It just did. There are times when I keep telling myself - or trying to tell myself - that Chad's nothing more than a lunkheaded basketball player with no brains or feelings. But in any society, no one is like that. All human beings have some type of brains and they all have feelings. And if my theory is correct, I might have damaged Chad's feelings yesterday. But unfortunately, I can't just make everything go away like that. If I attempted to approach Chad, it would mean mockery for both of us and he wouldn't take two seconds to hear me out. So the only way to even have a chance of making things right with him is to wait and hope for the situation to get worse. Then we'll have no choice but to communicate.

"Taylor are you in there?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Timothy. How long had he been standing in front of my desk watching me like that anyway?

"Sorry." I shook my head, forcing myself back into reality a bit too quickly. "I guess I just have a lot of things to think about."

"Well, I thought you were gonna get that new math girl on our Decathlon team." Timothy replied. "You said you were making it your personal mission and she'd be our secret weapon if all of those web articles are true."

"I am aware of that..." I nodded, recalling that I did say something to that extent.

"So how come she isn't on the team yet?" Timothy inquired.

I shook my head and stood out of my stool. "Patience, patience." I answered simply. "We have to handle one thing at a time. I assure you, Gabriella will be on this team before the week's end. If anything of the worst category, it's a minor setback. But we can't let one new potential member ruin our chances of getting anything else done." I clapped my hands together. "So, don't we have some chemicals to mix and calculate to results?"

"As a matter of fact, we do." he nodded eagerly. He led me over to another table and handed me a pair of goggles. "We need to record the results of these two chemicals' reactions and then study their pH balance. Afterward, we have to study the difference between then the mixture is heated and when it's frozen. I'm sure the findings will be most valuable for further research in Chemistry Club."

"And that's why you're the Secretary of the club." I nodded with a polite smile, patting him on the shoulder. I leaned forward as I slipped the goggles over my eyes. "Did you remember to add that teaspoon of water to the beaker?" I inquired, recognizing the two chemicals right away. I knew they were missing something.

"Oh, and we also need a clean sheet of paper to take notes on." Timothy continued. He smiled sheepishly and held up his now wet loose leaf paper. My guess was that one of the solutions was accidentally spilled on it, most likely before he had come over to me.

"I'll go grab one from my binder." I offered, adjourning back to my table.

And by that odd twist of fate, as soon as I pulled out a clean sheet of paper and stood up straight I could see Chad, Zeke, and Jason walking into the room. This room. As in the one I was in with studying with the decathlon team. In short, the chemistry lab. How much more ironic can it get? I opened my mouth to start speaking, but Chad stopped me before I could say a single word. He put his basketball on top of my desk and leaned forward on it, with Jason and Zeke standing right behind him. Chad pointed back and forth between the two of us as I slowly removed my goggles. And to my disappointment, I could see the raging fire in his eyes. He was not content about talking with me, that much was obvious. And as far as his tone was considered, it was nearly as cold as mine was known for. He was not a happy camper.

"We need to talk." he said.

I nodded, knowing I should hear him out. Besides it wasn't like I was going to apologize for my comment yesterday with his friends right there...or mine not too far away either for that matter. "Go."

"Call over your science friends." he replied.

I nodded and turned to the group, signaling for even just a couple of them to come over. I waved them over and as soon as they were behind me, as Jason and Zeke were with Chad, I gave a nod as the sign for them to continue.

"We've got a major problem." Chad said, sounding as though every word was forced out. My first assumption was that the major problem was actually talking to me. But if his friends were with him then obviously there wasn't much a choice.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Troy's ditching us for the musical. I just saw him in the library, he's more interested in 'Twinkle Town' than the big game." he explained. "And I'm pretty sure that new math geek of yours is the cause of all of this."

"We're not here to stand and point fingers, Chad." I said simply. "Would you mind getting right to the point."

He seemed to raise an eyebrow in the form of confusion. "Uh...that was the point."

"Did you notice anything weird goin on with the new girl?" Zeke wondered, seeming to be more relaxed about it.

"She ran off on me this morning to..." I started, then stopped in mid sentence. "rehearse for the musical." So it was Kelsi she was going to see. She was planning on sticking to the musical and singing with Troy!

"So she's leaving you out in the cold, too." Chad observed.

"She's leaving all of us out there." Timothy stated. "She still hasn't agreed to join our Decathlon team yet."

"Well we need to think of a plan to get her in here and Troy back in the gym. Cause there is no way our bud is gonna be singin on some stage doin some lame dance moves kissing some girl he just met." Chad insisted.

"Likewise." I replied, thinking somewhere along the same lines for Gabriella. "So what do you propose?"

Chad blinked. "What? I am not proposing to you!"

I rolled my eyes. "I meant what do you suggest!"

"Oh..." he replied slowly, which made some of my teammates snicker. I could tell they were enjoying this. And given a different scenery and situation perhaps I would be enjoying it as well. Chad seemed to need to take a minute before gathering himself again. "Well...what if we..." he pointed around to him, Zeke, and Jason, "...got Troy to say some really mean stuff in front of Gabriella to make her not wanna audition?"

"A plan like that wouldn't seem too plausible." I stated. "The only way that could happen if Gabriella thought that Troy was talking in front of her." I paused and thought for a minute. "Wait a minute...that could have potential..."

"Does Troy have a secret twin brother we can use?" Jason piped up.

The entire group of students looked at Jason with the same usual look. No offense to him, but that boy had problems. I quickly shook my head and tried to get to the point quickly. "My laptop has a webcam in it. If Troy could say something impolite about Gabriella on that then we can somehow show it to her and make her think that Troy is saying all of those things about her."

"You have a laptop?" Chad asked.

"Of course." I shrugged. "It was a gift instead of having a sweet sixteen like most girls."

"Oh, so I wouldn't have been able to crash the party anyway?" he asked. It sounded mostly like a joking tone, but I'm fairly certain there was sarcasm in his question as well.

"Getting back to the plan." I informed him, not wanting to wander off topic.

He shook his head and nodded. "Right, right. Do you have another laptop with a webcam?"

I glanced over at Timothy. "Could I borrow yours for that?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure." he nodded.

"Great, I'll come pick it up later tonight so I can put something together on it." I agreed before turning back to Chad. "You can use my laptop and we'll use Timothy's here. You know how to work a webcam, right?"

"Yeah." Chad shrugged. "I did a video chat with my cousin once. Don't worry, he's a nerd too."

"Must be on such a high pedestal for being related to you." I said with my own touch of sarcasm. "Now would you have any idea how to get Troy to speak into the webcam about Gabriella without him noticing?"

Chad tapped his fingers on his basketball, like he was actually thinking. Wow, such an accomplishment for him. He looked at Zeke and Jason, and it seemed like they were discussing something. He finally nodded and turned back to me. "Yeah, we can do it." he said as-a-matter-of-factly. "We can catch him off guard in the guy's locker room if we start talkin sports and surround the laptop with trophies and stuff."

"Do you really think it's going to work?" I wondered. I'm sorry, but sometimes I still had my doubts about that boy.

"It's the only way to save Troy and Gabriella from themselves." Chad sighed, though seeming quite sure of himself.

I looked over at my team to see if they agreed. Most nodded right away, but I wasn't completely certain. Was doing all this really worth hurting Gabriella's feelings an possibly crushing Troy's? Then again, if it was all for the greater good. It might get things back to normal and we could go about our daily lives like none of this ever happened. I took a deep breath and nodded, trying not to make eye contact with Chad.

"So we start tomorrow?" Chad asked.

"Ok." I agreed. "The first thing."

"Nice." Chad nodded, seeming satisfied for the first time that day. He looked at his friends and smiled...he actually smiled! "Let's go." he told them.

And call me crazy, but I think that after I opened my big mouth yesterday and thought for sure I had wrecked any chance of being anything decent with Chad, he actually smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back. I turned back to my own team and they had the same looks at me. I couldn't quite read any of them, but as long as they didn't know I was thinking that now I had even the slimmest chance with Chad...you knew I was totally thinking that weren't you?

I really should stop explaining my thoughts.

* * *

Yeah the whole thing with the POV's, still working out the kinks. Chad's started more times than Taylor so I gotta even it out at some point. It just didn't make sense to do it this chapter. I think I'll start off with her next chapter though, and then the next few if I can. Gotta attempt to even it all, you know? But at least during the chapters things seem pretty even for the most part. And sorry for not putting in Chad's side about thinking of the plan. I'll expand on that a little more next chapter. 0=) Hope you enjoyed this one. Next chapter coming soon!


	9. Action!

Well it's official About four more weeks left of school for me so after all that I'll be able to update plenty more. Don't you just love summer vacation? Never seems to last too long though. o_0 Anyway, after last chapter I think the wait has been long enough. So with nothing much else to say, here's chapter nine!  
I do not own HSM, it's a give-in.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Action! (Before "When There Was Me and You")  
**

Well another normal day at school. Not. Don't get me wrong, it started out as perfectly normal. I was walking to school with my backpack at hand and my laptop under my arm. Now I'm not usually one to bring such a device to school when we have perfectly good computers in the classrooms and library to use. However, this was an exception to the rule. I'd been up a decent portion of the night working on the so-called plan Chad and I had been conducting. Not that I was tired of course. I was perfectly awake. And you know I'm not particularly a girl to fall asleep on the job.

Now my main mission was to deliver my laptop to Chad. Still that would prove to be somewhat difficult. Why do you suppose Chad and I were communicating in a closet a few days back? Our cliques cannot be seen talking to each other in public unless it's specifically for a school assignment or we're exchanging insults. It's a sad yet very true fact of East High School. Though sometimes, I must confess, it would be nice to talk to someone like Chad in the open. And I don't mean like we were yesterday with our groups putting together our strategy in the first place. Perhaps a simple discussion about school and comparing our thoughts on certain classes. A bit idealistic I know, but it would be a nice change for once. Even now, going to meet Chad, it was all business. That's all it was; we had to keep it strictly professional. Now I know I'm not a lawyer or anything, but one should not fraternize with another who is technically the enemy nor let some heat of romance get in between the job of the two.

Speaking of Chad, there he was. He'd been hiding behind the staircase of the main entrance to school, from what I could gather. Seeing his signal as he waved me over, a picked up my speed and lifted my backpack up the stairs and placed it down beside me. Chad knelt in closer like we were on the spy mission of a lifetime. What is it with this boy anyway? Even I could tell there was hardly anyone around, and those who did seem to be around were busy within their own groups. But Chad had to go acting like Batman or whoever he was acting like at the moment. I mean, not that it was cute or anything. Why would I see such a childish act as attractive?

He held out his arm and looked at the three watches on his arm, each saying the exact same time. "My watch says seven forty-five, mountain standard time." he told me quietly. "Are we synched?"

I rolled my eyes in attempt to show I was not entertained. Besides why on earth would I need a watch? This boy keeps enough watches for at least half of our class. And as far as my inner clock was concerned, with the same basic routines I ran nearly everyday I had an idea of what the exact time was. Though once in a while I would look up at a nearby clock just to be sure. After all sometimes things last longer than they appear to.

"Whatever." I shook my head, just wanting him to get on with it.

"Then we're on go mode for lunch period? Exactly twelve o-five?" he asked.

Ok now he was completely losing it. If Chad was not snapped back into reality soon then we'd have some major issues to deal with here. So I handed him my laptop and reminded him of the video lens attatched to the top and least tried to inform him of how delicate it could be. "Yes Chad, we're a go." I answered. I waved my hand in front of his face to get his attention, and he looked right on me. I didn't even realize we were standing that close to each other. It's a good thing this is all business or I'd be caught completely off guard. Focus on the mission Taylor, you know you always do. "But we're not Charlie's Angels, ok?"

Chad shrugged as he took my laptop. "I can dream, can't I?"

I just rolled my eyes and walked off upon hearing the bell ring. He could dream perhaps, but it wouldn't get him anywhere. But I have to say, the way he pulled off such seemingly meaningless entertainment, especially in a situation like this, was almost...cute.

But that was the last thing that should be on my mind. The main objective was to focus on getting through my classes and putting the plan into action. We were going to have Gabriella on our Decathlon team and we certainly weren't going to lose her to some basketball boy. And I was actually going to let myself be taken in by one of those...wait a minute, what am I saying? See, this is what happens when two very different people work together, especially when they're as different as Chad and myself. They start to rub off on you. Chad may have a way with girls in general and he may have ways of making people laugh, but I wasn't going to let that hold me back. Not now, not today, not ever.

As far as the day went, it felt slower than usual. That's the issue when you know you have something to take care of or when you look forward to something. You want to get to that time or day so bad that when you finally arrive there it happens so quickly and the process of getting there is much slower. Lastly, there's the question of what to do after that and the question evidently runs through your head, 'what to do now?'. But I knew what I was going to do after this plan was completed. Move on with my life and let whatever happen, happen. Plain and simple. So as soon as the bell rang and signaled lunch, I didn't waste any time to find Gabriella and take her to the Decathlon's meeting room. as for my lunch, I had that safely waiting in my locker. We could eat after this was taken care of. Spotting Gabriella by her locker, I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the classroom.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Don't ask questions, Gabriella. We have a presentation to take care of." I told her.

I'm assuming she raised an eyebrow, as I wasn't looking at her, but her questioning tone suggested that she did raise an eyebrow. "Do we have a project due in one of our classes?"

"As a matter of fact, we don't. But now that you mention it, there is something that you need to see. It's a lesson made exactly for you, Gabriella." I replied.

"What are you talking about?" Yet another question escaped her.

"Just watch and see, my friend." I replied as I led her into the room and showed her to her seat, at the desk where Timothy's laptop was sitting. That would come in handy shortly. The remainder of the Decathlon team was already standing by my side, serving as as a watchful eye, if you will. Making my way over to the chalkboard, I wrote down a few brief notes and allowed the laptop the time it needed to start up. Next step was to upload what I needed to onto the miniature computer. I pulled out a flash drive and inserted it into its given slot on the computer as soon as it was done loading. With a brief glance at my teammates, they gave a nod. We were ready. Not to just make sure the basketball boys were ready. I took a quick look at the clock, just to be sure. Twelve o-five exactly. Let's get started.

Gabriella was already sitting in her seat, and from the look on her face, she thought this was a bit humorous. Well, she certainly wouldn't be thinking that for long. Just keep thinking of this as a lecture hall, Gabriella. You'll see the light when we're done with you.

I cleared my throat and first pointed to the pictures we had up of how we - or rather I - saw evolution as. "From lowly Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon, to early warriors, medieval knights...all leading up to..." I nodded at Timothy, who then pulled down a full-length photo of an NBA's body with Troy's big head glued onto it. Yes, I said big head. "...Lunkhead basketball man." I'd say that was a perfect way to start it. To start any good lecture, simply open up with a few sentences or an overall statement that could connect to anything you are about to share with students or peers. Now to slowly get to the point. "Yes, our culture has worshiped the aggressor throughout the ages, and we end up with spoiled, overpaid, bonehead athletes who contribute little to society other than slam dunks and touchdowns. That is the inevitable world of Troy Bolton."

Now I know some of you, hopefully few, are thinking, what is this girl talking about? Now I know Gabriella understands, but let me break it down for those of you who do not follow. In my opinion, man has slowly climbed up the evolutionary chart but has evidently declined back down into what we call athletes. The Neanderthals hunted, knights fought their opponents bravely, and current species we today call human beings are attempting to make society a better place to live. Now you would think that would make it all seem worth while and that there was nothing to worry about. Think again. I'd say the athletes are the ones below all the rest. All they serve for is entertainment and for what, a few hours a night, perhaps five times a week and only during specific seasons? What other positive aspect to they provide for us? Are some of them decent? I would like to hope so. Perhaps they give lectures to younger people on how to follow their dreams and never to give up. That's inspiring and easy to live with. But what about the other athletes who have too much confidence in their skills and would sometimes resort to cheating just to win a game? That's my point right there. The only issue with that is that Gabriella is seeing it like some sort of a joke. She's not taking us seriously enough.

Moving on, I started up a PowerPoint presentation that I worked on last night and replaced my pointing stick with a small device to match the laptop. Upon pressing the button on it, the slide show would move to the next slide without my having to manually click the mouse or be directly connected to the laptop. I turned down my voice a little, as we were not getting to a more understandable subject.

"But the path of the mind, the path we're on, ours is the path that brought the world these people..." I began pushing the button and saying each name as their picture appeared on the screen. "Eleanor Roosevelt, Freida Kahlo, Sandra Day O'Connor, Madame Curie, Jane Goodall...Oprah Winfrey, and so many others who the world reveres."

Now I'm sure I don't have to explain any of that, right? I'd say it's pretty self-explanatory. These are the people who changed the world in so many positive ways and excel the actions of any lunkhead basketball players. Surely even you must see my point now.

Gabriella seemed to see my point, but she wasn't going to let it go so easily. "But what has this..." Now it sounded like she was trying to get out of this lecture of ours. "I've got Kelsi waiting for me now to rehearse..."

"Gabriella." I blinked quickly, insisting on her to stay where she was. She seemed a bit surprised, but I whispered an apology, as my intention wasn't to scare her. Looks like we were going to have to do this the hard way. "Troy Bolton represents one side of evolution, lunkhead basketball man." I picked up the pointing stick again and pointed at his picture. Then I pointed it at the picture of the evolution chart and slammed it against the desk to emphasize my point. "And our side, the side of education and accomplishment, is the future of civilization. That's the side where you belong."

And, as if just on cue, we could already hear Troy's voice escaping the laptop. Nice work Chad, you finally got something right.

"She's just someone I met." Troy was saying, sounding pretty insistant. "The singing is nothing, probably just a way to keep my nerves down or something, it doesn't mean anything to me. You're my guys and this is our team. Gabriella's not important. I'll forget the audition, I'll forget her, and we'll go get the championship. Everyone happy now?"

I froze the picture on the screen, knowing that Gabriella had heard more than enough. I had never expected Troy to sound so harsh about it. But sadly, it had to be done. I sighed as though it was the conclusion of the lecture. "Behold, lunkhead basketball man." But Gabriella was still staring at the screen, even as my teammates exited the room. They were most likely heading to the cafeteria, as lunch was nearly half way over by now, perhaps more than half. I'll be honest this time, I had gotten so into the lecture I must have lost track of the exact time. My best guess, at least, was that there was still enough time to eat. So, now I should reel Gabriella in before I lose her again. "So Gabriella, we'd love to have you on the Scholastic Decathlon."

But Gabriella didn't answer. She was still looking at the screen. And I could swear I saw tears forming or even coming out of her eyes. She wasn't really that hurt by this, was she? I mean, we were saving her from making a huge mistake.

"Did you want to grab some lunch?" I asked gently, not wanting to see her more upset. But she only shook her head. "Well..we'll be there." I said before slowly leaving. I know that I had done the right thing. I had convinced Gabriella that Troy was wrong for her and she shouldn't be thinking about him or the callbacks. And I know Chad did the same thing with Troy. But still, that didn't excuse Troy's tone of voice or the look Gabriella had when she saw him. She was absolutely crushed. But she'd thank me in the long run. I'm sure of it. Wouldn't she?

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

I tapped my foot as I waited for Taylor to get here. What was takin that girl so long? Did they all take ages to get ready for somethin? What does she have to look really good for me? I can actually kinda picture her in somethin blue.... Wait a minute, what the heck am I saying? Why aren't you snapping me back into reality here? I gotta focus on the plan. We went to so much trouble to talk to each other yesterday to work it out...and in front of our friends. I mean, look where it got us. Look at what we were planning. I was actually gonna have her laptop with me. All day. Whoa.... I mean...boo? Hey cut a guy some slack, it's early over here. Before school even starts. I'm allowed to get myself mixed up this early aren't I? Besides I gotta focus on the big picture here: gettin Troy back on our side. If it weren't for him and that Gabriella person Taylor and I wouldn't even be talkin to each other. I don't even know why I seemed so calm talkin to her after what she said to me anyway. Pheh, she was really kicking me outta her life. Well maybe I don't wanna be in her life. Did she ever think about that?

Hey, here she comes! Act all cool Chad, get her over here. Yeah, what else would I do? I waved her over and she saw me, cause then she ran right over with her backpack. And no, I'm not seeing this like some sappy romance movie. What do you think I am, a secret romantic? Hilarious. But I was ready to take this seriously for once. Nothin was gonna distract me today.

"Ok so my watch is set for seven forty-five, mountain standard time. We synched?" I asked quietly, not wantin anyone to catch us talkin like this. I showed Taylor my watches to prove my point. Besides she never wore a watch. And I've known her since elementary school. She even showed off that one time in second grade when they tried teachin us how to tell time and she got the exact time and seconds right from the big clocl...with only the really long lines on it. Like the twelve, three, six...you get the point.

"Whatever." she replied. Dang she must've wanted to get outta here sooner than I thought.

"Then we're on a go mode for lunch period? Exactly twelve o-five?" I asked, lookin around still. I know there's someone out there watchin us somehwere. They're lookin all suspicious, sayin how we're planning a secret date or somethin. Oh man that reminds me, how am I supposed to ask McKessie to the afterparty? If there even is one at this rate? Oh man it's gonna be the worst five minutes of my life. It's got rejection written all over it. Wait a minute, what happened to me not gettin distracted?

I turned to Taylor when she waved her hand in my face. "Yes Chad, we're a go." she said. "But we're not Charlie's Angels, ok?" She handed me her laptop and I looked at her, shrugging all innocently.

"I can dream can't I?" I asked. Yeah, I knew that'd get to her. She just rolled her eyes and left. She was laughing on the inside, I know she was. You think she was too, don't you?

So anyway once that was all said and done with I got the guys together and we set everythin up in the guy's locker was trying to make everythin perfect but I don't see the big deal. It's just a table of pictures and trophies covering the laptop, man! Not some fancy shamncy cake! Actually a chocolate cake sounds pretty good right about now. I can picture it with white frosting and covered in chocolate sprinkles and chocolate chips maybe with a big wildcat head on it....

"Dude!"

I shook my head and snapped outta my thoughts. "What Jay?" I asked Jason. Man he always had to interrupt my best daydreams.

"You just kinda looked like you were freaking out." he replied. "It's not about asking Taylor to the afterparty if we win is it?"

"Relax Jay, I got it all under control." I rolled my eyes. "You worry about takin Ami."

"But I don't wanna take Ami and you don't wanna take Taylor." Jason said.

"Well that's not..." I started.

"You think maybe there's a way we can switch it off? I'll take a know-it-all over Ami any day. Ami scares me sometimes." Jason kept goin.

"No." i said too quickly. Ok that made him more confused than usual. Quick Chad, think of a comeback! "I mean...why would I wanna take either of them to some party? Ami's all snobbish and has that snorty laugh and McKessie thinks she knows everything and is stuck-up, a teacher's pet, stubborn..."

"Ok but with all that it almost sounded like you wanna go with her." Jason shrugged, goin back to setting everything up.

I groaned and hit my head. That is not what I wanted to happen!

"Guys he's coming!" one of the other players called, running back in.

We exchanged glances and all got in chairs or behind the table. I was in perfect view of the laptop and if Troy stood right at the doorway we could get the perfect shot of him, We could hear Troy gettin closer. I picked up one of the pictures and got ready for action. It's time to get his head back in the game.

And as soon as Troy walked in and looked at us, that was my cue to start. "'Spider' Bill Natrine," I started and held up the picture, which had Troy givin me a puzzled look. :Class of '99. MVP, league championship game."

Zeke picked up the next picture and I put mine down. "Sam Netletter, class of '02. Also known as 'Sammy Slamma-Jamma'. Captain, MVP, league championship game."

Then Jason took the next photo and pointed to a trophy. "The 'Thunderclap' Hap Haddon, '95. Led the Wildcats to back-to-back city championships. A legend."

"Yes, legends one and all." I announced, ready to lead Troy on. I wasn't gonna be his lap dog, not this time. Troy wasn't gonna be leading me on a leash like I was his sidekick. Things were changing now. It was time for him to see the light. And if these players and this talk about legends didn't get his head back into it then nothin would. It all didn't need to make sense. Everythin just had to connect and come right back to the whole callbacks and musical thing. Even if Troy didn't think he was following, trust me, he still was. "But do you think any of these Wildcat legends became legends by getting involved in musical auditions, just days before the league championship _play-offs_?"

"Get'cha head in the game!" the team chanted.

That's right, we were a team. We were gonna do this together. I wasn't gonna do all the talkin here. I was just gonna be the leader for once. Now watch the master and learn.

"No." I shook my head. "These Wildcat legends became legends because they never took their eye off the prize."

"Get'cha head in the game!" they repeated.

"Now, who was the first sophomore ever to make starting varsity?" I asked the team.

"Troy!" they answered simultaneously.

"So who voted him our team captain?" I questioned, folding my arms.

"Us!" they replied.

"So who is gonna get their sorry butts kicked in Friday's game if Troy is worried about an audition?" I finished.

"We are..." the guys answered more quietly.

See what I mean? I'm on a roll here. And we went over this plan like ten times this morning. I'm tellin you, it's fool-proof. And guess who the fool is. That's right, Troy himself. But of course, before I could start my speech again, Troy had to interrupt. Should've seen that comin.

"Guys, there's twelve of us on this team. Not just me." he said.

"Just twelve?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head and handed Troy an old photo. "I think you're forgetting one very important thirteenth member of this squad."

And we all knew how important that last member was. It was the person who kept the whole team together, the one that had us keepin goin. The one who had all the advice and pep talks and who trained us day in and day out to be the best we could be. He was a guy who we all had an enormous amount of respect for. He was the one who we probably saw more than our own parents. And all the guys in this locker room know that Troy sees him more than any of us and how much more important he is to him. Even I knew how important he was to Troy. Troy was just staring at the picture and sighing like he made a stupid mistake.

"My dad..." he finally spoke.

"Yes Troy." I nodded, knowing he got the point. And trust me, I was speaking calm and quietly but with nothing more than the utmost respect for our coach. "Wildcat basketball champion, class of 1981. Champion...father...and now coach. It's a winning tradition like no other." And it was true. That's why the coach was revered and looked up to so much by so much of the student body. And for him to be Troy's father...for him to be the father of practically an East High basketball prodigy...well what would you think?

Troy handed me the photo back and I took it, puttin it back down by the right trophy. I crossed my arms, waiting for Troy's response. I knew he was tryin to think of a comeback. Watch, he was gonna try and turn this around to make it work for him and put himself on top. Well not this time. And if all went according to plan, if Taylor started at the exact same time we did - and trust me, she always would - then Troy would be backstabbing Gabriella right in her face in less than a hundred seconds.

"Guys, if you don't know that I'll put a hundred and ten percent of my guts into that game, then you don't know me." Troy said.

"Well we just thought-" I started, even though I had a faint idea of where this was goin.

"Well I'll tell you what I thought. I thought we were friends. Win together, lose together, teammates." he explained.

Troy did have a point there, I'll give him that. But why else would we be tryin to get him outta this mess right now? Cause we hated him? Cause we wanted him off the team? Cause we wanted nothin to do with him? Cause if that's what he thought then he was sadly mistaken. I walked behind the table, kinda like I was in a courtroom askin questions. And trust me, I made it all natural. But it was the only way not to let Troy catch a glimpse of Taylor's laptop. Even I couldn't get distracted with it by now...not that I would, of course.

"But suddenly the girl, and the singing..." I said, nonchalantly opening the laptop and adjusting the video link. Luckily Troy didn't even seem to notice. And as soon as he started talkin, that's when I pushed the record button. And I knew right then and there that Gabriella and Taylor would be watchin Troy's face on some big screen in their own room and some sense would be knocked into that new girl. Troy would be back on our side before we knew it.

"Man, I'm for the team. She's just someone I met." Troy tried convincing us. "The singing thing is nothing. Probably just a way to keep my nerves down or something, it doesn't matter. You're my guys and this is our team. Gabriella's not important. I'll forget her, I'll forget the audition, and we'll go get that championship. Everyone happy now?"

And at that instant, I turned the record button off and stood up straight like I was analyzing him. Even Troy could tell that somethin was up. He had an eyebrow raised and was breathing heavily, like he was just waiting.

"You know it's not gonna be easy to convince us that man." I told him. "What's it gonna take for you to show us the real Troy Bolton again. Where's our captain?" I asked.

Troy looked at me in disbelief. "What team?" he asked, which made us all exchange confused looks. "I said what team?" he repeated, louder.

"Wild-" the guys started but I cut them off.

"Hey hey hey, that's my line!" I gasped. "now what team?"

"Wildcats!" they all - including Troy - cheered.

"What team?" I repeated.

"Wildcats!" they yelled. I smiled widely and picked up my basketball and put it under my arm. I jumped up and down and ran right for Troy.

"What team?" I asked once more.

"Wildcats!" they yelled even louder.

I threw my arm around Troy, making him laugh as he joined in. "Wildcats!" I yelled.

"Get'cha head in the game!"

And with that we all made a mad dash outside. We met the cheerleaders and had our own little pep rally out by the fountain. No teachers, not even Darbus, could stop us now. We had our captain back and we were having the time of our lives. We even got the band to play a little tune for us as we all got on top of the fountain and did the wave with our arms. Then some of us picked up Troy by the legs and put him on our shoulders like he was the king. I just watched and smirked. It had all worked out.

And now Taylor had another reason to come talk to me. Cause I still had her precious laptop...in the boy's locker room. Sinister chuckle, anyone?

* * *

Ok that took a couple of days to type up, but it's finally done. Sorry that it's been taking so long to do this, by the way. Now I'm not sure how many chapters there's left to go but I guess we'll know when we get to the last song now won't we? XD And just so you know I will be starting a few other stories so that might make a few of them go slower...my apologies in advance for those of you who wanna keep reading. So anyway, even though there wasn't a lot of C&T interaction in this chapter there will be plenty more soon. Now to let you get back to the real world very slowly as the imaginary screen fades to black. Fady fadey..fadey fade away....


	10. Guilt

Sorry big time for not updating this story in a while. With like two or three other stories in the process and schoolwork, yeah it's easy to forget things or get stuff mixed up. So now I'm updating this at school during my break. My laptop decided not to let me use the Internet, so that meant using an actual computer at school (yeah like I was really gonna wait till I got home to type again). Anyway, let's move on with the story shall we?  
As much as I would love to own HSM, it ain't happening any time soon.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Guilt (After "When There Was Me and You")  
**

"Hey Cap'n!" I called out.

I ran off the outside basketball court and over to Troy as he came on. I'd say things were turning around for the better. Troy wasn't obsessing over that Gabriella person anymore so he was back with his boys. So now here we were in gym class just a few days after mine and Taylor's master plan. I'd say it worked like a charm. Score two points for the home team! Am I right or am I right? Anyway, back to the point here. The whole team was in gym and the coach was letting us work out for that last big game. Championships were almost here and there was no way we were gonna lose now. Troy was back on our side. At least...that's what we all thought. I mean, even though we were all dressed in matching sweatshirts showing the whole school that the team was hard at work out there Troy didn't seem any more like one of us. It was just...well, weird. I didn't get it. I offered him the ball so he could start practicin with us, but it was like he didn't want anything to do with it. Instead Troy just shook his head and started running the track.

"What's up with him?" Zeke asked, walkin over to me.

I just shrugged my shoulders. "Don't worry about him." I replied. I bet he was just trying to get his focus back on the game, that's all. There's no way Troy was ready to turn away from us. He's our man. He's not gonna let some chick distract him. Look at me, I haven't been distracted by a chick all year and my game's better than ever.

But somethin was a bit different. See, Troy kept actin all distant. Every time I called him asking to come over to shoot hoops with me or to just talk about whatever he never picked up. It was like he became a completely different person. He wasn't the same bro I knew anymore. I didn't get it at all. And every time a teacher called on him in class he was completely zoned out. Forget the regular zoning out, like passin notes and talkin about basketball and all. This was a new level of zoning out. It was ridiculous. This was not the Troy I grew up with. He sure wasn't my brother.

It went on like that for a couple of days, I guess. I even went so far askin Troy's dad if he knew what was wrong with him. The convo didn't even last too long. All he said was that Troy's game was pretty far off. He'd seen the dude practicin at home and hardly any shots were made. See? That was a sign. Somethin was definitely goin down.

So then that day at lunch I kept my eyes out for Troy. I was gonna get to the bottom of this. I looked around the cafeteria for Troy and saw him run into that Gabriella girl again. Oh man, after all that hard work were they still...? Wait, what was that? He tried to open his mouth and she just walked away. Yes! That's exactly the result we were all hopin for. But it just didn't seem right. Why was Troy so depressed? He wasn't actually like...missing her was she?

"Yo, Troy." I waved my hand tryin to get him over. By that time he was right by the stairs. Wait...where was he going? Our table wasn't up there. We were down here! Hello, Troy? Can you hear me dude! This was unbelievable. I shook my head at him. I didn't even know how to describe how down he looked anymore. Taylor just happened to be sitting at the table not too far from mine. I turned my head and glanced over at her and she looked at me at the same time. I didn't get it. I mean normally if a dude and a chick looked at each other at the same time without realizin it they'd turn their heads away. But it was different here. I looked over to the other side of the cafeteria and saw her eyes had actually been on Gabriella. The girl was sittin by herself just staring at some day old milk carton. I guess Taylor saw what went on with those two, too.

Then it got totally freaky. We actually got up at the same time. We faced each other at the same time. We walked in the same direction at the same time. We even sat down at the same time. Man were we in sync or what? Normally I'd be pretty happy with that cause it means somethin. Look I don't have any time to debate whether I actually like this girl or not cause right now we had bigger things to worry about. We had to fix things with our buds. So we sat next to each other in the cafeteria. Some people stared, but I guess we didn't really think much of it. Well, I didn't anyway. If this ever happened I'd just make up some story about why we were doing what we were doing. But there was no time for excuses now. This was real business. All business, no strings attached.

It was quiet at first. Well with us, not the cafeteria. The cafeteria was loud as usual. Anywho I was just tappin my fingers against my knee. I glanced over at Taylor and saw her fiddling with her fingers or somethin. Wait...was she bitin her nails? Aw, she's got a nervous habit. Cute. I mean...oh just forget it already!

"We really messed up didn't we?" I finally asked.

"To put it lightly, yes." she nodded. I don't think I heard her voice be so...quiet-ish. The Taylor I knew wasn't afraid to let her voice be heard or anything. She spoke her mind. Talk about an opinionated chick.

"Ok so we made a mess of things. How do we un-mess things?" I asked.

"It's not that simple, Chad." she replied. "There's much more at stake this time. We can't just attempt to make everything better."

"I don't get it." I shook my head.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "We have to come clean to them, but it could mean losing their friendship. We have to admit to Gabriella and Troy that we betrayed them. That we set all of this up for our own selfish reasons and that's why they're not talking to each other. If we don't confess then we'll be miserable and ultimately regret it. And if we do tell them it does mean doing the right thing but on the other hand it could mean something as far as them dropping our friendship."

I blinked. I didn't know Taylor actually felt that way. Like so worried about all this. We had everything all planned out. We set everythin up to fit every last detail. She was efficient that way. But now it was like there was nothin to it. One confession could mess everythin up. In my case it'd mean losin a friendship since preschool. But what did Taylor have to lose?

"So why so worried now?" I asked.

"Because." she answered.

"That's not much of an answer. Because why?" I replied.

"Because it's none of your business." Taylor folded her arms, even though she was still nibblin at one nail, at least.

"It is too my business. We're in this together. We made this plan. We made it all each others' businesses." I said. "It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen."

"That has nothing to do with it." she sighed heavily. "And you just got that off the Simpsons."

"It happened to be on last night. It was a perfectly good episode." I said defensively. I watched her chew at her fingernail. I couldn't take it anymore. Nervous habit, shmervous shmabit. "And stop biting your nails!" I gasped, literally grabbing her hand and pulling it away from her mouth.

I froze in my place. I think she did too, cause neither of us moved. We were just sittin there staring at each other. I think it was total disbelief or somethin. Then it hit me. We were talkin. We were sittin next to each other. I was holding her hand. I let go right away and she turned her head away.

"Uh...sorry." I muttered. "Sorry."

"No," she sounded like she was clearin her throat, "it's fine."

Ok...this was awkward. Quick Chad, get off the subject. Whatever you do, don't tell her anythin you might regret. Like how you actually liked her bitin her nails. Don't tell her it was a cute nervous habit. Ir that she looks good in that scarf. What color is it, yellow? Or is that some pink in it? Maybe a reddish shade?

"So..." Taylor broke the silence and snapped me outta my thoughts. Terrific - not. "I'll go get the Decathlon team and apologize to Gabriella. You get your team and talk to Troy."

I scoffed. "His team, not mine."

"If Troy was ever out of commission the team might as well be yours." she replied just as I was about to get up.

I raised an eyebrow and sat back down just starin at her. "Whaddya mean?"

"Have you noticed anything around here?" Taylor raised an eyebrow and turned her head to me. "You're not Troy's sidekick you know. He just happens to outshine you because he's been playing a little longer and his father's the coach. You're just as good as he is. If Troy was never even around here I can guarantee that the team would be calling you captain."

"You really think so?" I asked.

"Well...yeah." she admitted. And it wasn't just like the 'well, yeah' tone. It was, what was that word...sincere? Yeah, let's go with that. A more sincere tone.

"Ok, I'll buy that. Then tell me who my best friend would be. Maybe I wouldn't even have anyone to betray then." I said.

"That's not true." she shook her head. "Nothing's set in stone, Chad. And just because you made one mistake doesn't mean you betrayed Troy. It's only a mistake if you don't learn from it. You really are a good friend."

The thought of that almost made me smile. I don't think Taylor and I ever talked like this before. Like actually bein nice to each other. It was a change. A good change.

"Yeah well, you're a pretty good friend to Gabriella, too." I replied.

Taylor shook her head. "I must confess something. If it wasn't for Gabriella I wouldn't exactly have any friends to be a good friend to."

I raised an eyebrow. 'What are you talkin about? you got the whole Scholastic Decat on your side."

"Decathlon." Taylor corrected, as usual. "They're my teammates. We only see each other outside of school for field trips, planning meetings, and on occasions studying or homework. That doesn't exactly make us friends."

"So what, you're sayin you didn't have any friends before Gabriella?" I asked.

"To put it simply, yes." she nodded.

I tapped my fingers on my knees again. Well that was a twist. I didn't even see it comin. Heck I don't think Taylor would've ever told anyone that. Especially not me. I don't know, I almost felt like she confided in me or somethin. It was kinda a nice feelin.

"Well if it means anything, I think you make a perfectly good friend. And even if Gabriella wasn't here I'm sure someone would end up bein your friend before high school was over." Wait, did that even come out right?

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that your lunkheaded way of complimenting me?"

I thought for a minute. Well I guess some things never change. If I was a lunkhead two weeks ago I was still a lunkhead. But hey, I could live with that. It's all good.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is." I nodded, leaning back against the wall and puttin my hands on the booth. Was it a booth? I don't know, it was something attached the wall that you could sit on. It was white and hard...ok make her do the talking now.

Taylor looked around the cafeteria. Guess she was thinkin about somethin or somethin. Then she looked back at me. She leaned back a little too, but I dunno where she put her hands.

"Well even for a lunkhead that is sweet of you to say." Taylor said.

I looked at her and I could've sworn I saw her smile. If she did I'm almost willin to bet I smiled back at her. But it didn't even last long. Cause then we both looked down. Behold the irony! Man that's a weird word. Behold. Does anyone even say that anymore? It's like an old version of dude from the fifteen hundreds or somethin. Only dude's a cooler word to use. Oh yeah, you wanted to know the irony. Would you believe me if I told you our hands were practically touching? Yeah, not jokin over here. And you know I'm almost never serious. We looked at each other again and quickly pulled our hands away. I bit my tongue and didn't do anythin for a minute. Ok it's awkward again.

"So..." I said slowly.

"So..." she replied at almost the same time.

We looked at each other again and I swear I looked right at her eyes. Wow they're a really nice color. What are they, hazel or brown?

"Should we get goin then?" I got out somehow.

"Yeah. We should." Taylor nodded as she stood up. "I'll...I'll just go find Gabriella and talk to her then. I think she walked out while we were..."

"Talkin?" I finished.

"Yeah." Taylor nodded.

"And I'll...go track Troy down with the guys." I replied gettin up.

"So..." she said.

"So..." I replied. Yeah, we were back to that again. "Later?" I asked.

I'm pretty sure she smiled again, but I wasn't completely lookin at her. But her voice wasn't all icy and mean. It was the same nice tone she was talkin in almost the entire time.

"Yeah." she agreed. "Later."

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

It's a funny thing about theories. They're nothing more than guesses. A hypothesis. The true nature of one's theory can never exactly be determined. I had theorized that breaking any chance Troy and Gabriella had at being together, the two would realize their places at East High and things would resume to their usual level of normalcy once again. I even went so far as to assume that Chad and I made a good team with the plan we concocted together. But it didn't turn out the way either of us expected. It was like guessing the best cleaning product was Bleach when the correct answer turned out to be, say, Mr. Clean. I assume you understand my point then.

At first everything seemed to be going according to plan. Troy and Gabriella didn't say a word to each other and the social cliques remained in tact and nothing was out of the ordinary. But it wasn't the same as it was before. There was something different. The aura wasn't filled with the mysteries of other cliques nor was it the sense of rivalry between any two given ones. The aura was cold and depressing. It didn't feel anything close to normal.

I remember calling Gabriella's house a few days back when she wouldn't answer her cell phone. I had a brief conversation with Ms. Montez about my friend. I had wanted to ask Gabriella if she'd enjoy a night at my house so we could work on our AP Biology homework and then get a head start on studying for that Calculus exam next week. But according to Ms. Montez, Gabriella wasn't feeling well. Her exact words were, "I'm sorry Taylor. Gabriella's feeling a little under the weather. She doesn't feel like talking right now." Now at first I didn't think much of it. It could have been one of those mood swings some girls tend to have or perhaps it was the upcoming cold in flu season. But those theories were off as well. When I saw Gabriella in school she was not the person that I had talked to during detention. Gabriella was even more quiet. Distant, even. It was as though she didn't want to know anyone. Now I knew she can be a female of naivety and has known to keep things to herself, but surely this is going too far. Even when I said hi to her she just walked away. I was afraid that something was wrong with her. I mean, Gabriella has been acting this way since....

Oh no. There was just no way.... Now I started feeling the guilt. Gabriella first completely started tuning everyone out right after she stopped talking to Troy. All I knew about that was she gave him the sheets for the callbacks and left him at her locker. I knew no other details of their so-called relationship or anything. But on the other hand, perhaps everything was that simple. All that needed be done was put two and two together. If Chad and I hadn't conjured up that plan to stop Troy and Gabriella from becoming a couple then Gabriella wouldn't be bottling up her feelings and she and Troy could go on about their business. Who were we trying to kid? How could we really stop them from doing what they wanted? I didn't necessarily approve of someone with Gabriella's intellectual level singing with a lunkhead like Troy, let alone be content with the two being together, but who were we to stop them? If they made each other happy then so be it. If I put myself in Gabriella's shoes for even two seconds I would understand in the slightest bit. Perhaps I would act a bit differently or handle the situation on my own terms, but overall I would understand Gabriella's feelings. I decided that I had to talk to her. I had to make things right with my friend or else I might as well be acquaintances with my Decathlon team for the remainder of my high school career.

I'm fairly certain it was the next day that I decided to talk with Gabriella. I was eating lunch with the Decathlon club, of course. We were discussing strategy for the last match against West High, which so happened to be the same day as the basketball championships. But did we care? Well, I didn't. Not that much. It would have been interesting to watch. Anyway, I was opening my lunch as Martha and Timothy were debating their pitches.

"I really think we need to use speed to win it. Make everything perfectly legible but use our skill and combine it with something else to give us an edge." Martha said.

"This coming from a brain who loves to dance." Timothy rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you, we can't just jump into something. Slow and steady wins the race. If we just jump right into anything then we're surely setting ourselves up for a disaster."

"It's just brainstorming, Timothy." Martha replied. "Look if we can't agree on something then why don't we just ask Taylor to take a side?" She looked over at me and waved a hand in my face. "Taylor? Yoo-hoo, earth to Taylor."

I don't know why but somehow I had been zoning out. I recall keeping a watchful eye out for Gabriella as students scurried back and forth between their tables and the lunch line. I remember briefly catching Chad, whose table happened to be adjacent to mine. He looked as though he were watching for something, too. Or someone. I wondered if we were on the same page. If it were even possible, that is.

"Taylor." Martha repeated.

I shook my head and forced myself back into reality. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Timothy interrupted. "You are not getting infatuated with Chad Danforth."

I blinked. Was he...watching me? Spying, even? "What gave you an idea like that?"

"You were looking right in his direction." Timothy replied. "Since when do you have the hots for a basketball player? You're the one who always said that they were lunkhead entertainers who got paid for doing next to nothing and were wasting their lives."

First of all, that was the furthest thing from the truth. I'd admit that they were wasting their lives entertaining a portion of the human population. Second of all, did he really think I had a crush on Chad? I mean, not that I did of course. Even if it were true it'd just be a school girl crush. Not like it would ever amount to anything. Plain and simple.

"What are you, jealous?" I decided to go with that retort.

"Who, me? Jealous of that dorkwad?" Timothy asked.

"Dorkwad?" I repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

"Hey, isn't that Gabriella over there?" Martha asked.

I owe that girl big time for getting me out of that mess-up. I turned my head and I saw Gabriella walking by. She had her lunch tray and a drink, so I'm assuming that she had just gotten off the lunch line. Then she stopped in the middle of the room upon near physical contact with Troy.

"Oh, hey." I said to her.

I had hoped that Gabriella heard me, and that perhaps she would leave Troy and come over to us so I could talk to her. But instead she looked away from Troy and shook her head. She stepped in the opposite direction that he was facing and settled on sitting alone. So...that was it? She just turned me out? She even turned Troy off when it looked like he was going to say something. Poor girl looked so crestfallen. What did we do to her? I turned my head just to glance at Chad. I noticed he had been watching Troy. I followed his gaze to the basketball player, who was now exiting the cafeteria.

"Taylor what are you doing?" Timothy asked.

But I didn't hear my teammate. I looked at Chad again and coincidentally, he looked at me at the same time. A normal reaction for me would be to just look away and pretend like I didn't even see him. But he didn't look away either. Was it possible that we were thinking the same thing? That we were really on the same page? I didn't even say another word to the Decathlon as I got out of my seat. The odd thing about that was, Chad got up at the same time. We were off today. Or...maybe we were on. I wasn't completely sure this time. Everything we were doing was in perfect harmony. The speed and manner i which we both got out of our seats. The way we looked at each other and seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking. The way our feet seemed to press against the tiled cafeteria ground at the same time. The way we knew exactly where we were going to sit and talk it out. If I wasn't so distracted then perhaps I would think that it meant something. But whether it did or not, I was unsure. All I did was sit down where we were and toy with my fingers. It wasn't too long before I brought one of my nails to my teeth and started biting at it. It was a terrible habit, I know. That's why my nail beds were so historic. But I'd say I had a decent reason to be biting them, didn't I?

"We really messed up didn't we?" Chad asked.

I picked up my head just a little hearing his voice. So he was the one that broke the silence between us. Well, I guess if I was too busy with my habit he'd have to do it sooner or later. But where did we go from here?

"To put it lightly, yes." I nodded. I didn't mean for my voice to come out quieter than it usually did. It just...happened. Not that I was feeling insecure or anything. Perhaps the better word is...well aside from distracted...maybe it was uncomfortable.

"Ok so we made a mess of things. How do we un-mess things?" he asked.

First of all, un-mess wasn't even a real word. How could he make things up on the spot at a time like this? "It's not that simple, Chad." I told him. "There's much more at stake this time. We can't just attempt to make everything better."

"I don't get it." Chad said.

No, of course he wouldn't understand. I suppose a portion of me was still thinking to myself how undeveloped his brain must be. There was no chance he could follow half the stuff I was saying.

"We have to come clean to them, but it could mean losing their friendship. We have to admit to Gabriella and Troy that we betrayed them. That we set all of this up for our own selfish reasons and that's why they're not talking to each other." I explained. "If we don't confess then we'll be miserable and ultimately regret it. And if we do tell them it does mean doing the right thing but on the other hand it could mean something as far as them dropping our friendship."

I didn't hear Chad say anything for a minute. Was he suddenly listening to me now? He hadn't listened to a word I said since first grade unless it was an insult. Why start now?

"So why so worried now?" he asked.

Why did he even care? It wasn't like he needed to know. "Because."

"That's not an answer. Because why?" He repeated.

"Because it's none of your business." I folded my arms but that didn't stop me from biting one of my nails. Why was he so determined on actually caring what I was thinking?

"It is too my business. We're in this together. We made this plan. We made it all each others' businesses." Chad insisted. "It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen."

"That has nothing to do with it." I groaned. "And you just got that off the Simpsons."

"It happened to be on last night. It was a perfectly good episode." he retorted like it was such a big deal. Yes Chad, I'm sure this conversation would fall apart if it weren't for the Simpsons. "And stop biting your nails!" As soon as those words escaped him, he grabbed my hand and pulled it away from my mouth.

It took all of my willpower to stop my mouth from dropping open as I looked at him. Did Chad just do what I think he just did? He actually grabbed my hand...and now he was holding it. That...that wasn't supposed to happened. I wasn't even supposed to be enjoying this. Why did my heart suddenly flutter upon hand contact with this boy? I mean not that I really did have it bad for him or anything. I'm merely just saying, is all. But that didn't stop the awkward silence that now filled the gap between us. I wanted to open my mouth and speak, I really did. But nothing came out. I didn't know why. And before I knew it Chad dropped my hand and looked away from me. Was he...dare I say disgusted with me?

"Uh...sorry." he stammered, though I could tell it was to himself. "Sorry."

I tried to gather myself together and straightened my posture. "No...it's fine." I replied. I was silent for a minute, as was he. I didn't dare make eye contact with him again. I couldn't afford to. Not with what just happened. And despite that I swore I could still feel his eyes on me. What was he up to now?

"So...I'll just go get the Decathlon so we can talk to Gabriella." I decided, taking my turn to break the silence. "You can get your team and talk to Troy."

"His team, not mine." Chad scoffed.

I noticed he was about to get up and leave. But for some reason I didn't want to see him go yet. "If Troy was ever out of commission the team might as well be yours."

That seemed to get him to stay. Chad just looked at me with his usual lost look. "Whaddya mean?"

"Have you noticed anything around here?" Now I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You're not Troy's lacky. He just happens to outshine you because he's been playing a little longer and his father's the coach. You're just as good as he is. If Troy was never even around here I can guarantee that the team would be calling you captain."

"You really think so?" he asked.

"Well...yeah." I confessed. I wasn't being nice either, actually. It kind of surprised me, too. I actually gave Chad the lunkhead a compliment. It was all around straight up honesty.

"Ok, I'll buy that. Then tell me who my best friend would be. Maybe I wouldn't even have anyone to betray then." he told me.

"That's not true. Nothing's set in stone, Chad. And just because you made one mistake doesn't mean you betrayed Troy. It's only a mistake if you don't learn from it. You really are a good friend." I hoped he would actually listen for once. This was very valuable advice I was giving him. But then it got a bit...odd again. I thought I saw Chad smile. At me. That was never supposed to happen. There was no way on earth there could ever be a realistic chance or something like that happening.

"Yeah well, you're a pretty good friend to Gabriella, too." he told me.

If only he knew. Chad really was that clueless, wasn't he? "I must confess something. If it wasn't for Gabriella I wouldn't exactly have any friends to be a good friend to."

'What are you talkin about?" Chad asked. "You got the whole Scholastic Decat on your side."

"Decathlon." I had to correct him. Chad always got my team mixed up. "They're my teammates. We only see each other outside of school for field trips, planning meetings, and on occasions studying or homework. That doesn't exactly make us friends."

"So what, you're sayin you didn't have any friends before Gabriella?" he asked.

Did I have to spell it out for him? "To put it simply, yes."

"Well if it means anything, I think you make a perfectly good friend. And even if Gabriella wasn't here I'm sure someone would end up bein your friend before high school was over." Chad said.

I tilted my head. I tried to follow his way of words. Chad and I were being civilized towards each other. That was miracle enough. But now, now...? "Is that your lunkheaded way of complimenting me?"

Chad didn't say anything for a minute. I wondered if he was fibbing. That had to be it. The lunkhead just had to open his mouth and let whatever come out, come out. And to think I actually enjoyed being nice to this guy for once. I can't believe him. He has to be so cocky, so ridiculous, so lunkheaded, so Chad, so...so....

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is." he nodded.

My head shot over right to him. He admitted to complimenting me. I admitted to being nice to him. Surely this was a feat that was never meant to be accomplished. Just thinking about it, what we were doing now and what we were saying to each other...I don't know, actually. I jsut gave me this indescribably sensation I didn't think I could have just speaking to Chad like a normal person. I leaned back and put my hands down, as he did, and pondered for a moment to gather just the right words together.

"Well for a lunkhead basketball man, it is really sweet of you to say." I smiled at him.

Yes, I actually smiled at Chad Danforth. And to throw everything else out there, Chad did the same thing to me. There were no strings attached. We weren't being nice to each other just for the heck of it or because we had to be. We were doing it because it was all coming naturally. And I'm not sure about him, and I doubt he even feels close to the same way, but...I like it. And part of me wanted to know if even a little portion of Chad liked it, too.

"So..." he said slowly upon reaching yet another unwanted silence.

"So..." I nodded at almost the same time he spoke.

We glanced at each other at the same time. I'm not sure how or why, but we ended up looking right into each others' eyes. It was just like we were in the closet. And then I remembered what I said to him in there and how cruel it sounded. Maybe now was the perfect chance to apologize for my previous behavior.

"Should we get goin then?" Chad asked, which brought me back into reality.

I nodded and stood up, despite the fact that part of me wanted to stay and continue talking with him. "Yeah. We should. I'll...I'll just go find Gabriella and talk to her then. I think she walked out while we were..." What was the right word for what we were doing, again?

"Talkin?" Chad inquired.

That sounded about right. "Yeah."

Chad nodded and stood up. He placed his hands in his pockets nonchalantly. "And I'll...go track Troy down with the guys."

"So..." I started, knowing that there had to be more. It just sounded as though there was more to say. Like we hadn't gotten everything we wanted to out there.

"So..." he added on for me. I saw him with a cute-ish thinking face on. It was like he was trying to find the right words to end this, since we both had friends to make up with. I just hoped that it wasn't too late to save our friendships. And maybe gain a new one in the process. And then he opened his mouth again, almost with a hopeful tone in his voice. "Later?"

He did want to talk again. Just...us. Do this. It was almost too good to be true. I'll admit, I am content with that and I do look forward to speaking with Chad again. But I shouldn't get ahead of anyone and say I'm overjoyed or anything. I sent him a warm smile and made sure that I spoke gently, unlike the normal way we communicated with ice and insults.

"Yeah. Later." I replied.

We smiled at each other once more and went our separate ways. And as girlie as this may sound coming from me...I really did like Chad's smile. And I didn't care what Timothy thought about him anymore.

* * *

And that took up almost all of my break here at school. I'm not sure what's bothering me now looking at the computer for so long. It's either my back or my neck. That's besides the point. I'd say this was a pretty decent chapter. I had an idea for a while of how this deleted scene was going down so I think it turned out well. I tried to keep everything perfectly even and keep the confusion of their own feelings going. Man they have big mouths in their minds don't they? Anyway, there was nothing else to add here because we all know how it goes down with that. So now that everything is almost right with their world, there's not much more deleted scenes left. So that also means it's a matter of time before the C meets the T, if you know what I mean. XD


	11. Meeting

Hello people. Sorry for keeping you waiting on the chapter before and my apologies for making you wait on this chapter, too. It got a little crazy here with finals and all. But no worries, my last one is over and done with so all that leaves is finding out grades...and cleaning my room...and trying on clothes stuck together in my closet.... But really who wants to hear about that boring stuff? We're here to get away from reality so let's start it right now. xD  
I do not own HSM even though it's every fan's dream to.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Meeting (While Troy's at Gabriella's)  
**

Well it could have gone better than I expected. I had hoped for a more understanding reaction and to agree to go make things right. But we might as well forget that idea. Even after coming clean and explaining that it all was our fault Gabriella refused to listen. She just turned her head and looked away from us. I should have known this would happen. I jeopardized my friendship with Gabriella over this stupid plan and now I've lost it. It didn't matter what anyone else said or anything. I lost her friendship, her trust, and her membership on the team. But none of those even mattered now. I suppose all I can do is hope for the best. I can still recall exactly what had happened earlier when I confessed everything to her. Gabriella had been in the science lab. My best guess is that she was studying for a science exam or reading from a textbook and working on some questions at the end of the chapter she'd been reading. Whatever the reason, it was better to talk to her then than later. The one thing that had been on my mind was the plan. We had planned everything except for it backfiring. Chad and I were so convinced it was full proof and I was stupid enough to believe him. If anything good possibly came from all of this, it had been that I got closer to Chad.

"Gabriella, we were jerks." That had been the first thing to come out of my mouth as soon as I saw her. Gabriella had turned to me with nothing more than a look of confusion. I didn't blame her. But this was hard enough to do. "No, we were worse than jerks because we were mean jerks. We thought that Troy and the singing thing was killing our chances of having you on our Decathlon team." There, I said it. We were as low as they came and she should have every right to be angry with us even if we were to explain ourselves. However, her reaction had been different than I pictured.

"Why talk about it? I'm on your team now. Done." Gabriella replied. She tried going back to her work but I wasn't going to let her. Not on my watch. We had a truth to confess and I wasn't letting Gabriella out of my sight until everything was normal again...or at least as close to normal as it possible could be,

"No, not done." I shook my head, turning her back to me and the team. I took a moment to formulate the proper response in my mind, in a way I knew Gabriella would understand best. The easiest way to do that? Say it flat out. "We knew that Chad could get Troy to say things that would make you want to forget about the callbacks. We planned it. And we're embarrassed and sorry." Even just saying Chad's name in a normal context almost made me...I don't know. What's the right cliché I'm looking for? Made my heart flutter? Skip a beat? I don't know, something like that. But luckily, for once, I was able to pull myself back into reality so much easier. I looked over at my team and they nodded in agreement with everything I said. They looked just as ashamed as I did. But, of course, they had elected me to do all the talking. Well to be more technical, I offered to do most of the talking but I'm assuming none of them had anything else to say since Gabriella spoke as soon as I closed my mouth.

"No one forced Troy to say anything." she replied. Gabriella almost seemed as though she waited a moment herself before continuing. "And you know what, it's ok. We should be preparing for the Decathlon now. So it's time to move on."

Yet another adjective to add to my list of describing Ms. Gabriella Montez. Stubborn. And my parents said I was the one who refused to listen easily? "No, not done." I stopped her from going further with any work or even talking. Besides if anyone was going to be the more stubborn one it was going to be me. Gabriella wasn't escaping now. "The Decathlon is...whatever. But how you feel about us, and even more, Troy...that's what really matters."

Yes, I knew how head over heals Gabriella was for Troy, even after knowing him for such a brief period of time. And maybe I was risking losing her for the Decathlon team. But suddenly that didn't matter anymore. It was Gabriella's happiness that was important. And clearly Troy did that more than we ever could. It would have been nice if Gabriella understood. If she could see where we were coming from. If for just one second she could look at us and say she'd talk to Troy...or just something. But Gabriella was silent. She said absolutely nothing. The look she gave us...it made us look like we had no idea what we were talking about. She shook her head at us. That's all she did. Just stare at us and shake her head. Two seconds later she was back to writing chemical equations on the board. And what could the rest of us do? Obviously nothing else to knock some sense into her. So we had no choice but to leave in utter defeat.

So that brings me to tonight. After dinner. I barely even ate anything thinking about it. Sure, my parents asked me if everything was alright, but I insisted that it wasn't of the concern and it was nothing to worry about. I'm sure I just needed some time to think was all. Just in the peace and quiet of my own room. But I don't know, something just kept making my mind wander. I finished all of my homework, so all that was left was extra credit. Normally I'd jump right into it, but I couldn't focus. My mind just wasn't on it, I suppose. I attempted reading the next chapter of my current novel...but still nothing. I couldn't let my mind skip through the pages and picture the story in my head like I normally could. I couldn't even do something as simple as listen to music. Honestly, who has a hard time listening to music? I finally gave up and collapsed on my bed around eight thirty, I'm assuming. I ended up just staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that happened. But you know how it is with irony, right? The last thing you expect to happen ends up happening. That's exactly what happened to me. As soon as I started drifting off to sleep there was a knock on my window. Now I didn't have a balcony at my door like Gabriella. All I had was a tree that every spring and summer just decided to branch out to my window. It frightened me as a child, I regret to say. The sound of the sharp branch edging out to my window and scratching against the glass. Sometimes it still irks me. But that wasn't it this time. Granted, the tree was still branched out to my window, but that wasn't what - or should I say who - was scratching at it.

I raised an eyebrow as I opened up my window. Right there on the branch sitting like there was no care in the world, was Chad. "What are you doing up here?" I asked him.

"I happened to be in the neighborhood. Thought I'd drop by." he replied.

I moved out of the way so he could at least sit in the window instead of the tree. "You could have used the front door. It's not a high tech security system."

"Not yet anyway. Until you turn it into one." Chad said as he crawled into my window. Was he just teasing me?

"Yeah well, we'll see about that Danforth." I folded my arms.

"So we're back to that again. Great..." Chad replied in a more slow, almost hesitant manner.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned raising an eyebrow.

He didn't say anything right away. Chad was just sitting there staring at me. What was he doing? Trying to charm his way out of this one or perhaps pull a fast one? I should have known this guy wouldn't change so easily.

"I talked to Troy today." he finally said. "I found him in his secret place. I talked to him with Zeke and Jason."

"How did that go?" I inquired.

Chad sighed and blew some of his bangs out of his face. "Good and bad, I guess. He didn't believe us, but we eventually got through to him I guess. It was kinda hard explaining that his best friends betrayed him."

"So you came all the way here just to tell me that." I assumed. "It could have waited until tomorrow."

"Maybe." he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But this is more fun."

"More fun?" I questioned him.

"Sure. You know I can't just waltz in through your front door. Remember your birthday party in third grade and you had to invite the whole class?" Chad replied.

"Please don't remind me." I groaned.

But he only laughed. "I was in your class, Taylor. I had to come. And the second I stepped foot into your house, your mom grabbed the mop and chased me out onto the streets. She even threatened to make me spend the day with the mop instead of you."

"It was far from hilarious." I shook my head. "Humiliating. Mortifying. Embarrassing."

"Hey I was the one who got kicked out." he replied. "You still had a great birthday, if memory serves. It was all anyone talked about after that weekend."

I just shook my head. Something just told me Chad was planning something. Like why was he here? What did he really come for? It couldn't be as simple as reliving memories and talking about how things went with Troy and Gabriella. And quite frankly, I did not want to find out. Not necessarily because I wanted to kick him out, but more so because if he didn't leave now my mother would see him up here and not only throw him out the window but ground me for life for even letting him touch the tree.

"You need to go. It's getting late." I said.

"So the whole early to bed, early to rise thing really does take effect at eight forty-five at night?" Chad asked almost in a playful manner. "Funny, I thought you could stay up longer for once."

"Just leave alright Chad? I'm saving you from my mother." I told him.

"I don't need saving. Trust me, I can handle myself." he replied. "Look if you don't want me here then just say so. I just thought after everything not completely working out the way we wanted to, we could use some cheering up."

I quirked an eyebrow and looked at him. "I take it you know how things went with Gabriella then."

Chad tilted his head a little, but overall nodded. "More or less. I'm at the top of the food chain, Taylor. I hear things."

"Yeah, well what you're hearing now is me telling you to leave." I repeated.

But still Chad didn't move. He just smiled and coyly. Like he was planning something. That was one of the disadvantages of knowing Chad; a person could never completely tell what he was thinking or what he was going to do. He always had a trick or two up his sleeve. And if not a trick, it was surely a joke. And after everything we went through, I was sure of one thing: I was not ready to be on the other side of one of his practical jokes again. Not when we finally became decent with each other, actually having normal conversations and not turning everything we each said into an argument.

"I'll leave after you agree to meet me to do homework after basketball practice tomorrow." Chad told me.

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. We have some of the same classes don't we? I could use a good tutor with a few subjects, And c'mon, if Troy and Gabriella still aren't talking to each other we might as well take our mind off of everything. You bury yourself in your work anyway. So what's wrong with a few little lessons?" he asked.

It was almost like he knew exactly how to get to me. But still, I wasn't going to be drawn in so easily. Yes, even now I was keeping my guard up. "I have a Decathlon meeting tomorrow. I can't."

"So say around three thirty then." Chad offered. "We're practically done with practice by then, and all I'd have to do is hop in the shower. Unless you like being around sweaty basketball players."

I nearly shuddered at the thought. "No, please wash up before leaving anywhere else." I informed him.

"So we have a tutoring session then?" he asked.

"That depends..." I sighed. "Are you going to focus on the work or just make gaga eyes over any cheerleaders that happen to pass by?"

"Who said I was gonna make gaga eyes at cheerleaders?" Chad asked.

That made me freeze in my place. I could tell his eyes were right on me. Even without looking I would know. What was he possibly insinuating here? The thought was tempting, believe me, but this was Chad we're talking about. There has to be a catch somehow. Nothing's ever straightforward with him. I'm almost positive he has something else planned. But somehow...just looking right back at him and staring at those eyes...something almost tells me he's not lying. Well, not completely. It's complicated. On the one hand, I know he's going to be watching some girl that isn't me. On the other hand I could tell he was serious about his statement on cheerleaders but I knew he wouldn't completely focus on the work either. I had to think quickly. There had to be just the right response to formulate for this situation.

"So," Chad's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "do we have a study session?"

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

Right after the whole deal with Taylor in the cafeteria...you know, the awkward-ish conversation I guess, I went right over to Jason and Zeke. They were still sittin at their table actin like nothin was goin on. They were making jokes and goofing off. Since when did things go back to normal? You get where I'm coming from, right? So you see why I don't get it. Nothin changed. Everything was the same as it was yesterday. They needed to get it through their heads that we had to fix it. So I went right over to them and let them have it straight.

"Yo dudes." I said coming from behind them. "We gotta go find Troy."

"How come?" Jason asked, turning to me.

"Dude, there is no 'how come'." I replied. "It's obvious why we gotta talk to him. we screwed up, end of story."

"So, you're saying we just go up to Troy and tell him what we did?" Zeke asked.

"That's exactly what I'm sayin." I nodded. "Look, Troy's our bud. He's our bro. He's our teammate. He's our captain. You should've seen how depressed he looked when he walked by. And that girl he's got a liking for, she looked just as down. We hurt more than just Troy and he's gotta know that. If we don't fix things now who knows how long he'll be like this."

"Ok but, most of all the plan was your idea. You should talk to him." Jason replied.

"But I'm not the only one who had something to do with it all did I?" I reminded them. "I'm not doin this on my own. So, c'mon. We gotta find Troy."

It took a little longer than I hoped, but we eventually left the cafeteria. We looked all over in his usual spots. The gym, homeroom, the outside basketball court...I'm talking everywhere here. It probably took us most of the rest of lunch period. Well...at least until we found a clue to help us out.

"Hey what's that?" Zeke asked. He was pointing to a door down the hall. It might've been opened a crack, but there was a small breeze blowing in from one of the opened windows in the hall, so I guess that's why the door was flying in and out a little. Either way, it was opened.

"I never noticed that door before." I said.

"Maybe it's one of those magical appearing doors. Y'know, like in Scooby-Doo." Jason suggested.

I rolled my eyes and hit Jason in the shoulder. "Yeah right man." I started walking over to the door first, then turned back to Jason and pointed at him. "And there were never any magical doors in Scooby-Doo. Just secret passageways and trap doors." Hey cut a guy some slack. The show happened to be on every day before I went to school when I was younger. It was pretty entertaining. Well, expect for this one episode with the haunted house and a werewolf...ok you know what? Forget the mindless seventy's cartoons or whatever decade the show was animated in. Back to business here. Behind the door were flights of stairs. I went up first, and Jason and Zeke were right behind me. It probably went up about two or three stories, I'm guessing, cause when we reached the top we could see the sky from the staircase. We must've gone onto the roof or something. And there we go, we were on the roof just like I thought we were. With..flowers? What kinda roof was this? But then when we looked around we saw Troy on the bench alone. I glanced at Jason and Zeke, then we all stepped forward to get Troy's attention. I was in front with the guys right behind me.

"Hey." I said to Troy.

Guess that snapped him outta it. Cause he looked at us all confused. Did we interrupt some kinda private moment or something? Really, how long has he been up here for and why did he never tell us about this place? But when he didn't say anything, I kept talking.

"We just had a team meeting."

"Oh..." Troy said, still a little dazed or something. "Wonderful."

Oh yeah, he was really outta it. Normally he would've asked what the meeting was about or why he wasn't told. Something along those lines. But now, he said 'wonderful' instead. How many people even use that word anymore? It's like the whole 'behold' thing again.

I decided to tell him what it was about anyway. "We had a team meeting about how we haven't been acting like a team. I mean us, not you. And about the singing-"

Troy shook his head and held his hand up. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ok I knew he was depressed and we were probably some of the last people he wanted to talk to, but he had to know. "We just want you to know that we're gonna be there, ok? Cheering for you."

"Huh?" Troy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Zeke was the first to speak up next. He agreed a little easier than Jason before. But then again, normally we gotta explain stuff to Jason at least five times before he catches on...unless it's about basketball or space pirates. Yeah, don't ask.

"Yeah, man." Zeke agreed. "If singing's something you want to do then we should be boosting you up, not tearing you down."

"And win or lose, we're teammates." I added. I decided to lighten up the mood and playfully punch Troy in the arm. "Even if you're gonna turn out to be the worst singer in the world." I joked.

"Which...we don't know cause we never actually heard you sing." Jason realized. Give the boy a gold star, he finally learned something in five seconds!

But Troy shook his head. It's like he knew where this was goin, but didn't wanna hear anything about it. "And you're not gonna hear me sing. Because Gabriella won't talk to me." He paused and looked away from us. Guess he was looking at the view or something. Probably his new way of telling us to get lost. "And I don't know why."

That gave me a real uneasy look. I exchanged the look with Jason and Zeke. They must've been feeling the same thing in the pit of their stomachs, too. And believe me, when that happens it's either leftover turkey rolls with sloppy joe's in the cafeteria or the feeling of guilt. This was definitely guilt.

I guess I was silently elected to tell him, cause neither of the guys said anything. And hey, I was the dude's best friend. "We do..." I finally said, but even as I said it I sounded that uneasy.

Troy looked at us again. Yeah, explanation time. I was gonna open my mouth to speak, but Zeke stepped forward. He took out a bag of cookies out of his lunchbox and handed them to Troy.

"I baked these fresh today." he told him. "You probably wanna try one before we tell you the rest."

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked as he took the cookies. "The rest of what?"

We exchanged glances again. Troy had no idea how hard this was on any of us. Jason and Zeke looked at me and I held in a sigh. Should've known I'd be the first to talk. Again. I turned back to Troy.

"We kinda saw the whole deal with you and Gabriella. And we thought that because you went out for the musicals with her, you were choosing her over us. And you're our captain and we needed you. We still do. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be goin to the championships."

"So we met up with some of the science nerds." Jason said. "And came up with a diabolical master plan to wreck things for you guys."

"It was mostly mine and Taylor's idea." I confessed to Troy. I almost got the jitters saying her name like that to someone that wasn't her, especially my best bud, but I also had to stick up for my pals and point out that it wasn't their fault as much as it was mine. They didn't have as much to do with it as I did. "We negotiated and came up with the idea to make Gabriella not wanna talk to you. So when we set everything up in the locker room to get you back on our side, we hid Taylor's laptop behind the trophies and recorded you saying things about Gabriella like how she meant nothing to you."

Troy's eyes widened. We knew he wasn't gonna like that. "That was you guys? You did that?" he gasped.

"Yeah. And it was wrong. Completely our fault. And we're sorry." Zeke said. "But the truth is that you probably love to sing. And I owe you big time, man. If you didn't try out for that musical and let your secret out then I never would have been able to tell everyone that I loved baking."

"It was never really a secret." Troy admitted. "I used to only just sing in the shower."

"Trust me man, auditioning for some musical ain't singing in the shower." I shook my head. I even added my own little theater touch in that sentence with some tough guy accent to try and get my point across. I hoped it'd be some joke but no one was laughing. Figured as much; no one wanted to laugh at a time like this.

"Our point is, if you want to sing with Gabriella then we shouldn't be stopping you." Zeke said. "We should let you do what makes you happy. If we try and push you to something you don't want to do, then why shouldn't you do the same to us, right?"

"We're gonna make this simple and to the point," I finished off, "go after her. If you really like Gabriella and you wanna do this with her then we're not gonna stop you. If you go to those callbacks with her, then we're gonna be there to support you a hundred and ten percent. Just as long as you're there for us during the game and you knock those callbacks right out of the ball park."

I pat Troy on the shoulder, then turned and left the rooftop. I knew that after that pep talk, things were gonna work out for him. It'd be all good. He had our support now, so there was nothin stopping him. All he had left to do was talk to Gabriella. I hoped Taylor was able to get through to her...cause if she didn't Troy might be setting himself up for a natural disaster. On second thought...that might not be so bad. Cause then if Taylor can't convince Gabriella everything was our fault and Troy couldn't talk to her again at school, he'd be distracted about her tonight.

And then that'd give me the perfect reason to sneak up on Taylor.

* * *

And there we go, another chapter complete. In case anyone got confused at all, Chad's point of view pretty much ended with him deciding to head to Taylor's house, hence the conversation with him in her point of view. And the whole studying thing with them...well, I think I'll keep you all in suspense on whether or not she agreed to it or not. 0=) Besides, does it keep you all interested and wondering what would happen next? So anyway, that should do it for now. My finals are done, so I have been typing up this chapter for the past couple of days. So, now I will see which story will be updated next and, aside from replying to reviews, I'll pretend to talk to you all then. xD Well, pretend on here. Cause in replies it makes sense to actually be talking to someone. o_0


	12. BRD&SD?

So like I mentioned in the new chapter of my songfic oneshots, I'm sorry for not updating in a while. This is the second chapter I've been working on at the same time as that one, and I had to deal with a minor writer's block on this one right in the middle of Chad's. And because his is first, that made it really hard to move onto even starting Taylor's point of view because they're giving their sides of the same story. So now that's all taken care of and the chapter is all complete! Again, major apologies for keeping you waiting on the updates.  
No ownage.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Basketball, Rehearsals, Decathlon...and Study Date?  
**

You should've seen Troy today! He was really on his game. Finally he was getting back on track. Dude was practically making every shot he aimed for. Now see, this is the Troy I grew up with. This is the bro that's taking us right to the championships! But I mean, you know, we had to remember he had another practice to be at...I guess. Rehearsals, whatever the fancy word for callbacks is. He and Gabriella had to meet the composer or some person like that to practice with so they could beat Ice Princess and Captain Clueless out of their show. That should be something sweet to watch, you know what I'm saying? Anyway, when Coach wasn't looking Troy had to beat all of us into the shower. Don't worry, I covered for my bud. Told Coach that Troy had to run to the little boy's room. And it was at just the last five minutes or practice so it didn't make sense for him to come back out after that, right? So by the time the rest of us got into the locker room Troy was just finishing up showering. He had to work fast to meet Gabriella at exactly three-thirty. But he was gonna be early at this rate. I still had plenty of time before making a meeting of my own. So right before Troy left I went in and hit the showers. Don't think I should be all sweaty for this.

"Yo Chad!"

I looked over to the stall door and heard Zeke calling. He and Jason must be getting in for their showers, too.

"Yeah, I'm in here." I called back over the hot water. "What up?"

"How long have you been in there for?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah," Jason added, "It's not like you to worry about being clean."

I laughed. Well, maybe that was mostly true. But then again, my mom didn't want me coming home all stinky either. Just means when I go straight home from practice I don't shower as long as I'm doing now.

"Just think I got some extra stink under my arms I didn't get rid of yet." I joked.

"Good, we almost thought you had a hot date or something." Jason laughed as he turned on the showers.

Oh yeah, did I mention I hadn't told my buds about my little plan for after practice? So Jay kinda caught me off guard there. "Eh?"

"C'mon man, you know he's just joking." Zeke said as he got into another stall. "Besides you'd tell us if you had a hot date right?"

"Well...yeah, I guess." I said slowly. "I mean I don't know if hot is the right word..."

"Ok we're really out of the loop here now!" Zeke gasped dramatically. "Something you're not telling us Chad?"

"No...I mean, no..." Man, interrogating a dude while he's cleaning his privates? Or getting hair out of his face? Or almost choking on the shower water? Not cool. Besides, I don't even know if hot's the right word to describe her. I was thinking more like cute. But then again, Taylor was kinda smoking now that I thought about it. Dang, what are these guys trying to get me thinking?

"Well then who is she? And does she have a sister?" Jason asked eagerly.

Quick Chad, think of a comeback and fast! I could only think of one thing to get me out of this mess. "Not unless you're looking for something from last year. My history textbook is a pretty striking blue."

"Wait...you're dating a book?" Jason asked. But he was raising an eyebrow by now, cause he sure sounded confused. No surprise there.

"Don't wanna get kicked off the team before the big game. Gotta keep at least a C average, y'know." I replied almost too quickly. That was close, and I don't think either of them even heard my little slip up.

"Yeah, that is a good point I guess." Zeke said. "What would we do without Chad's killer speed anyway?"

"Yeah, or his hair?" Jason chuckled. "Remember that one game where the ball bounced right off his head and into Troy's hands?"

"Yeah! And the guy shot it right into the net at the last second." Zeke finished.

Wait...so now they were laughing about my hair? What was I now, some clown to them? I mean, if it was just a one time joke that's one thing. But they could at least tell me they're joking. But no, they're still laughing.

"Glad I amuse you guys." I muttered before turning off my shower. I grabbed my towel and stormed over to my locker.

"Aw Chad c'mon." Zeke sighed. "We were just goofing off."

Well, I only faintly heard that. I think that's what he said anyway. Didn't matter to me right now anyway, I just wanted to get out of there fast for once in my life. So as soon as I was dried off I threw on my clothes and headed out of the locker room. I had to make a quick stop by my locker first, cause that was where my textbooks were. Yeah, did you really think I kept a ton of books in my backpack? Not a chance. So all I had to do was grab any books that I had homework in and then head off to the library. It was beginning not to matter anymore who anyone saw anyone with. But according to Taylor, we don't know the extent of Troy's and Gabriella's effects on the school. I don't know, it was some fancy saying like that. So now, while I was taking out my books Taylor comes over to my locker.

"Hey." she said. "Are we still on for that study session you tricked me into?"

"If I remember right, I didn't trick you into it. You agreed to it." I replied.

"You kept bringing it up until I had to say yes. It wasn't like I had much a choice." Taylor said.

"If you didn't wanna come you could've said no." I told her.

For some reason she didn't say anything after that. I knew she was still standing by my locker but she said absolutely nothing. It was quiet. And it was...well, weird. Taylor always had something to say and now she just chose to keep quiet to me when I told her one little thing. It was only the truth, after all. Besides I already had Jason and Zeke talk back at me and make fun of my hair when here I thought it was so cool. I had the right to be in a bad mood about that. Not that I was taking it out on anyone or anything, but still.

"If I didn't want to come I wouldn't be standing here right now." she finally said. "And right now it sounds more like you're the one who doesn't want to study."

"I never wanna study." I informed her.

"Doesn't exactly take rocket science to figure that out," she rolled her eyes. "And I didn't leave me Decathlon meeting early for nothing."

"Well if you enjoy it so much then feel free to go back." I scoffed.

"Fine. I think I will then." she decided.

I sighed as she started walking away. That wasn't exactly what I wanted. That was just me actually taking my bad mood out on her instead of acting like everything was fine like I always did. You know what? I'm just gonna forget I ever heard those guys say it. I'll just go with Zeke and say I heard him say he and Jay were goofing off.

"Taylor wait, I didn't mean it like that." I said.

She put her hands on her hips but turned around to me anyway. Guess it got her attention. "So what exactly do you mean?" she asked.

How was I gonna explain this? "What I mean is..." Ok now I lost my train of thought. Dudes just had to say hot in the locker room, they just had to say hot! So now I was completely dazing. I shook my head and did my best to snap out of it. "What I mean is, I don't want you to go back. I wouldn't have crawled up a tree to your bedroom window if I didn't wanna do the study thing with you."

"Session." she replied.

"Right, right. Study session." I quickly nodded. "I mean if you're still up for it..."

I waited for her answer. She had to do this. Just stay quiet and be all deep in thought. Dang the suspense was killin me over here! Keep calm Chad. That's all ya gotta go. Well, that's exactly what I did. I held my ground and showed no fear. I know I didn't. And now Taylor was slowly taking baby steps towards me. She had her answer now. What was it gonna be...?

"Well then we should probably go to the library shouldn't we?" she finally said. "The hallway isn't exactly the best place for that."

I smiled. Yeah, actually smiled. At her. That's probably the third time in my life I did that. The second time was, well you know, when we had our little meeting in the cafeteria. And the first time was my bowling party in fifth grade and she got me something I'd been wanting all year that no one else got me. What? Just cause we were enemies didn't mean she wasn't invited. We had to invite the whole class.

"Great. It's a date." I said closing my locker.

Then Taylor stared at me like she was the one caught off guard. "Excuse me...?"

"What?" I asked. Yup, stupidity moment.

"Did you just say date?" she pointed at me.

Great, now she threw me off guard! What was this, an off guard throwing contest? "Well it's just...you know..." I was doing it again. "...regular old study date."

"There's a few different meaning of the word date, Chad. And one of them is not a type of food." Taylor told me.

Oh yeah, dates were some kinda food, too. Wait...was it even spelled dates? Did it even sound like date? Dang she did it again! "So...?"

"Well I'm just saying..." Then she paused. Ok we've gone from an off guard throwing contest to pause-a-palooza. "...what exactly did you mean?"

"Oh, you know...just a normal study date." I replied trying to be all casual. "Guy and girl. Meet at library. Open books. Study for stuff. Like friend-ish people..." Yeah, like friends-ish was probably even a word. Real smooth. But I didn't even know what else to call us. I mean, just because of all the work we did together this week did it make us friends or acquaintances? But I wasn't gonna let her get the last word in. Not yet anyway. "What'd you think I meant?"

Oh yeah, the contest was still on. Or maybe she was pausing. Oh I don't know what we were doing anymore! "Well...you know..." she replied slowly, "just a typical study session. With two people who are managing to get along almost like friends and happen to be a boy and a girl...no real date-like activities involved or anything." Did she just rephrase what I said? Now I think she was mocking me, cause then she asked the same thing I did. "What did you think I meant?"

I pointed at Taylor and opened my mouth to speak. Yeah, what did I think she meant? I slowly put my hand down and closed my mouth. We just stood right where we were staring at each other, almost like a staring contest. I tilted my head one way and she tilted it the other way. I made one movement with my arms, she made a different movement with hers. We were really being careful now.

"So...library in five minutes then?" I finally asked, willing to bet she had to go to her locker or something first.

"Yeah. Five minutes..." Taylor nodded slowly.

"Great..." I replied just as slowly.

We walked off in opposite directions. I dunno about her, but I kept thinking about what happened. But then I realized something. I was going the wrong way! Taylor must've been going the wrong way too, cause she was walking in the opposite direction now, so she was going where I started going before I turned around. And then we just spoke at the same time, pointing in the directions we were going in now.

"My locker's this way."

"Library's this way."

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

"So then by adding that to fill in the missing parts of the equation, you end up with two and two." Gabriella explained as she wrote everything out on the blackboard in the Decathlon room. Every member of the team was sitting as close as they could to the board - without risking damaging their eyesight of course - and took notes on everything Gabriella said and did. Half of them were even wearing their goggles early because of the experiment we were about to perform. I have to admit, I was more than overjoyed with Gabriella's commitment to the team. She seemed to much happier now. Even as I high-fived one of the members and turned to Gabriella to give her a thumbs up, I could swear that her smile was bigger and brighter than it had been since she moved her. It was truly remarkable. Such a transformation she made in such a short time here. I mean, at first finding out her true place, then discovering someone she liked with something she loved to do, and now finding the perfect balance between both extracurricular activities plus balancing the extra time with her obvious crush Troy and me, whom was finally established as her best friend...it was incredible. I don't think any new student had adjusted to their new school so easily in such a short amount of time and turned everything around.

"Should we move onto the experiment then?" Gabriella suggested.

"I've got everything set up already. Feel free to show us what you've got Gabriella." I replied.

"My pleasure." she smiled as she put on an apron so we could work with some chemicals.

Everyone rushed over to the table where the beakers, chemicals, and equipment rested but Gabriella and I took our time walking to the other side of the room. I had to be sure to congratulate her, indefinitely.

"You've been doing amazing Gabriella." I told her. "I can't even express how thrilled we all are to have you back on the team."

"I actually like being apart of it. I mean, now that I'm more than just a math girl." she admitted.

"Please, no one could ever be one thing." I shook my head. "I'm just sorry I didn't see your potential for anything else sooner. And I'm sure you're more than thrilled to be working so closely to Troy?" I couldn't help it. I had to tease her about him. After all, it was my right to as her best friend.

Gabriella blushed. "It's great. We're supposed to meet to rehearse with Kelsi soon. But if Sharpay and Ryan are as good as everyone claims I don't expect to earn the leads from them."

"It is going to be a challenge to do that," I agreed, "and I've never heard you sing. Or Troy, for that branching out is good. I'm sure that even if you somehow don't earn those lead roles there will be plenty of other things to do to help out with the show."

"I'll be happy whatever happens." Gabriella replied. "But it would be kind of nice to win."

"Wouldn't it always be?" I quirked an eyebrow.

She giggled. "Yeah, you do have a point there. So, let's get started on the experiment."

"Right." I nodded as we both pulled our goggles over our eyes. We approached the work station, and then I looked up at the clock. Normally I wasn't one to be curious about the time, or lose track of it so easily. But considering that situation I was placed in by one Chad Danforth the night before, I had a good reason to lose track of time. And as we were about to start the experiment, I noticed it was nearly three-thirty. And trust me, I'm always early. Even if the lunkhead isn't at his locker by three-thirty it will still give me time to stop by my locker.

"Oh...you're all going to have to do the experiment without me." I said. "I have to get going."

"Where to?" Timothy asked as I was removing my apron.

"Dentist appointment. Usual checkup, nothing big. But I told my mother I'd be home by a quarter of four so we could make it to the office on time." I fibbed.

Gabriella raised an eyebrow at me. Well...I might have mentioned to her needing to leave early from the meeting, but I never told her it was for any appointments. Let's just say my excuse to her was a different meeting. So one way or another, I was going to get caught in the lie at some point. But I wasn't about to stick around and let it happen now. I grabbed my backpack and ran out of the room before anyone could ask.

"Goggles!" I heard Timothy call.

I stopped running upon realizing I did indeed have the goggles over my eyes. No wonder the hallway felt so different when they were on. So I ran back into the room, took off the goggles, and put them in their designated drawer in one of the cabinets, then ran back out into the hallway again. So now that, that minor ordeal has been settled you're probably inquiring as to why I lied in the first place. In all honesty, I wasn't going to tell any of them about my meeting with Chad. If I was teasing Gabriella about Troy now, I knew that I would never hear the end of it once she started teasing me about Chad. One word, revenge. And one synonym for that, commupance. Now as for the rest of my team, we were fairly open-minded. But as far as I could tell, they still had issues with athletes. Even after the status quo became quite fractured, they still didn't believe athletes had a proper place in society. Not to mention how I would never hear the end of it from Timothy. My theory is that he either had a bad experience with Chad in his childhood and hates him because of it, or he has an unhealthy crush on me. No offence to Timothy, but I'm really hoping it's the first one.

Since I was passing by my locker, I decided to make sure I had all of my books for the evening. I was going to treat this like it was a normal day and keep telling myself that the only reason I was going to do this study session with Chad was to tutor him. I'd say that was a more realistic way to look at it. But realistic or not, I can't say that it stopped the butterflies in my stomach from hatching from their cocoons. And unfortunately, numerous more of them had to hatch as I ended up approaching Chad's locker and seeing him there. I just had to keep it casual was all. I can handle this, I just needed to keep myself under control. I'm not letting some schoolgirl crush get the better of me, not now.

"Hey." I said as I stopped in front of him. "Are we still on for that study session you tricked me into?"

"If I remember right, I didn't trick you into it. You agreed to it." That was his greeting to me. Not hello, or a yes I'm ready. He said that instead. It gave me the impression that he wasn't as thrilled as he seemed last night when I agreed.

"You kept bringing it up until I had to say yes. It wasn't like I had much a choice." I reminded him.

"If you didn't wanna come you could've said no." Chad replied.

I didn't respond right away. What was his problem now? He certainly didn't seem to be having a bad day when I saw him in homeroom. Or when I happened to pass by his table at lunch. Or in English class after lunch. So why did he seem so cold now? Did he lose interest that quickly, or was he just looking for an excuse to get away from me because he was no longer interested?

"If I didn't want to come I wouldn't be standing here right now." I finally said. "And right now it sounds more like you're the one who doesn't want to study."

"I never wanna study." he told me.

I rolled my eyes and said exactly what I was thinking. "Doesn't exactly take rocket science to figure that out. And I didn't leave me Decathlon meeting early for nothing."

"Well if you enjoy it so much then feel free to go back." he muttered.

Well if he really felt that way then maybe I should go back. I can easily come up with an excuse for my teammates. I'll tell them my appointment got canceled or something. "Fine. I think I will then."

I turned on my heel and started making my way back to the Decathlon room. If he didn't want to go through with this then it was fine by me. I didn't care. I didn't need to waste my time with him. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know why I agreed ot this. It wasn't his eyes or his charming smile. I think he was trying to seduce me. Just give me an excuse to leave my meeting early and then act like he was paying attention to everything I was saying when he would end up making gaga eyes at cheerleaders like he always does. I should have known. Chad will never change.

"Taylor, wait. I didn't mean it like that."

I stopped walking and slowly turned back to face him when I heard him speak. I folded my arms and stared him down. "So then what did you mean exactly?" I inquired.

He seemed to actually take a minute to figure out what he wanted to say before he spoke. I must say, that's a new one. "What I mean is..." He didn't say anything right away after that. I spoke too soon. He lost his train of thought too easily. "What I mean is, I don't want you to go back. I wouldn't have crawled up a tree to your bedroom window if I didn't wanna do the study thing with you."

"Session." I corrected.

Chad quickly nodded. "Right, right. Study session. I mean if you're still up for it..."

I would have to think this over for a minute. I mean, considering the way he acted upon my arrival and all. I wasn't going to let my guard down so easily. I mean, of course I was still up for it. Chad asked me and I was actually finding it difficult to say no to him. I know, it's not like me at all. So...I suppose in retrospect that would make it more challenging to say no to him now. I took one look at Chad's face and I could see all the suspense waiting on it. He was probably hearing the dramatic music in his head over this right now. I suppose I shouldn't keep him in suspense for too much longer.

"Well the hallway really isn't the best place to study." I told him. "We should probably go to the library."

I couldn't believe it, but Chad smiled at me. It was so genuine. How could anyone say no to that smile? Well...I could. Numerous times. Maybe things were changing now and that's why I actually let myself get nervous around Chad. I couldn't help but smile back at him. Then he said something I didn't even expect him to.

"Great. It's a date."

I blinked in surprise. I was trying my best to keep my mouth from dropping open. "Excuse me...?"

"What?" Chad asked. Did he really forget that quickly?

I pointed at him, "Did you just say date?"

"Well it's just...you know..." I wondered why he kepy pausing so much. Was he really that off today? "...regular old study date."

"There's a few different meaning of the word date, Chad. And one of them is not a type of food." I replied. And yes, there is such a food as dates. I'm fairly certain the spelling is the same.

"So...?" he asked.

"Well I'm just saying..." Well, what was I saying? I had to put this as flat, blunt, and simple as I could. "...what exactly did you mean?"

"Oh, you know...just a normal study date." Chad replied, trying to pull a casual act. "Guy and girl. Meet at library. Open books. Study for stuff. Like friend-ish people..." Then he raised an eyebrow at me. "What'd you think I meant?"

First of all, friends-ish wasn't a word. Were we even friends, even after all we went through this week? "Well...you know..." I responded slowly, "just a typical study session. With two people who are managing to get along almost like friends and happen to be a boy and a girl...no real date-like activities involved or anything." Maybe I was just repeating what he said in my own language, but I was expanding. It all made more sense that way. And still, I felt the need to ask, "What did you think I meant?"

He just stared at me. I stared at him...we were both just staring at each other just waiting for the other to make their move. That's all we were doing. Every time one of us made a move the other one did the when Chad cocked his head at one angle, I cocked mine at the opposite angle. When he folded his arms I put my hands on my hips. We really caught each other off guard with the whole date talk. Now neither of us seemed to have any idea what it was anymore.

"So...library in five minutes then?" he broke the silence.

"Yeah. Five minutes..." I snapped out of it and nodded to him.

"Great..." Chad spoke in the same tone as I had.

We started walking away in opposite directions. I'm guessing Chad figured I would have to make a stop before going to the library. And he was right. I did have to make a minor trip to the bathroom. Not to fix my hair or anything, if that's what you're thinking. Although I might need to fix my headband a little.... You're not getting any ideas are you? Although there was one minor problem. And it's not what you're thinking. I was going in the direction of the boy's bathroom and Chad was heading towards the Decathlon room. Last I checked, the library was up the stairs across from the boy's bathroom and there was a girl's bathroom a few doors down from the Decatlon room. We were both going the wrong way. At the same time we spun around and began walking in our designated directions, and happened to pass by each other on the way. If that wasn't hard enough to believe, we both had to defend ourselves at the same time.

"My locker's this way."

"Library's this way."

* * *

One new chapter the day right after another one. Two chapters down, one to go. I started another one for a story that I still need to finish. So I'm going to see if i can finish that one before getting started on the next chapter for this story and such. I'm hoping that this chapter was fairly entertaining. The whole "oh it's just a casual date with two friends hanging out" and all that, I kinda got that idea from Phil of the Future (which I do not own either). XD Always did enjoy that scene. Anyway if it was enjoyable it's all good. I will update whatever I can once again ASAP!


	13. Busted

Well well well, this story is coming to an end shortly now isn't it. Kind of a shame, too. I really did enjoy the first HSM movie. Anyway, we talk about HSM all the time cause we're crazy fans so enough of that for now. XD Speaking of HSM, how is school for everyone? Well, it is technically set in a school. It's practically summer time now so who's happy for that? Ok yeah, I will stop with the question-asking. ^^' Enjoy the summer while it lasts. I start school again in late August so around then, I will attempt to figure out at least for that semester when I can get anything updated. Right now I will focus on finishing this story and get one chapter of almost everything else done..if possible of course. Also, my apologies for not updating at all this weekend, except for my new short story A Week at Lava Springs. Got called into work at the last minute one night and then the next night had to work during the day. So now that all the basic talky-talky is done, onto the story!  
Me no owny.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Busted  
**

Our own little groups were well on our way to school. Gabriella and Troy had rehearsals for the callbacks prior to homeroom so Chad and I had offered to walk with them. And then Zeke and Jason had jumped at the chance to join us. Before we knew it, a good half of the basketball team and Scholastic Decathlon had agreed to join us upon our walk to school. It was surely a breakthrough, I could say that much with certainty. I don't believe there was ever a time when such a large group, especially one of such opposing cliques, had walked into school together. It would either turn out to be a dream come true or a horrible nightmare. Sadly, it was the latter of such which turned out to be the conclusion.

Once again I see I'm jumping ahead of the designated time. Let me start from the actual morning, before I caught up with the larger half of the group. I'm estimating that I had exited my house a good hour earlier than I usually do and caught up with Timothy down the corner. He was one of my teammates that had agreed to walk to school with us, even though his main reasoning was to catch up on some extra credit science homework. Normally I'd jump at the chance to do that but to be honest, I really didn't feel like doing such a thing today. As a matter of fact, it was difficult to focus on anything when conversing with such a closed mind. Timothy would not shut his mouth willingly.

"Remind me why we're going to meet up with Danforth?" he probably asked for the umpteenth time.

"Because his house happens to be down the street from mine and on the way to school. It would be rude not to get him on our way." I replied as we adjourned down the sidewalk.

"Since when do you care about one of those lunkheads?" Timothy asked.

"Timothy, we're getting along. He's my friend. My lunkheaded friend." I told him.

"I'm just trying to figure out what you see in an athlete. He has no promising future or career." he replied.

"Chad's not the worst guy in the world." I shook my head.

"Ah ha!" he pointed at me, "You're going soft!"

Yes, yes, fine. I have a soft spot for Chad. And yes, I will admit that I do happen to enjoy his company. Theoretically we both have a thing for each other, at least from what I can tell. However said theoretical crush can't go anywhere if neither of us will say anything out loud. Call me old fashioned, but I will not be the one to make the first move.

"Are you sure you're not just envious of Chad?" I asked him.

Timothy scoffed. "Why would I be envious of Danforth?"

"You tell me." I replied.

"What do you see in that guy anyway? What's so special about him?" Timothy demanded.

"And you're going somewhere with this." I said to myself.

"What does he have that I don't? Muscles? Hard abdominal? Strength? A pea for a brain?" he continued.

I sighed heavily. Remember that unhealthy crush I mentioned Timothy might have on me that I really hoped he didn't have? Yeah, he had it. So I answered his questions with a question of my own. "Why do you care what I see in Chad or worry so much about what he might have that you don't?"

"Hello, he's winning you over." he replied as we stopped in front of Chad's house. "I thought the day that you would fall for a guy like Danforth would be the day pi equaled to three point one five, not three point one four and so on."

"If you want one girl's opinion, I think you're making too big a deal out of this." I said simply. "Just because Chad's so different from us does not make him a bad guy."

"Heard my name. Hope there's good things with that." Chad sang as he came down his porch steps and over to us.

Another scoff came from Timothy. "Hardly." he muttered.

"Wanna repeat that?" Chad asked him.

I saw he was about to take a step forward, possibly threaten Timothy or something. None of that was supposed to happen, not today. And after Chad and I had finally reached that common ground, I wasn't ready to lose it now. I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from going any further.

"Actually we should really be on our way to school." I said quickly. "Boys, can we go?"

I could swear I saw Chad and Timothy swap glares. They were both getting awfully defensive...possibly territorial? It was a bit difficult to tell. But they couldn't jump down each others' throats now.

Chad was the first to give in. "Alright. We should be meeting Troy's group in about fifteen minutes."

"Fine. But that doesn't mean we have to like each other." was Timothy's reply.

"Good, we agree on something." Chad said. Then he turned to me with a smile, something I did not completely see coming. "Can I get your bag for you?"

A smile managed to make its way onto my face as I nodded. "Yeah, sure." I replied clutching my folder a little closer.

"Cool." Chad grinned and took the handle of my backpack from me. Our hands briefly brushed up against each other but we pretty much ignored it and Chad walked on ahead. I don't know why, but somehow now I'm feeling light on my feet whenever he's as close to me as he just was. And then Timothy had to go and ruin the moment.

"His meaningless flirting is getting to you." he whispered to me angrily.

"Shut up Timothy." I replied quietly.

Chad must have heard us, because he turned around in our direction. "Everything ok?"

"Just peachy." Timothy gritted his teeth as he now walked ahead of us.

Chad raised an eyebrow and looked at me as I stepped over to him. "That guy bothering you?"

"Not at all." I shook my head.

He replied with a nod and we started walking side by side towards the meeting place of our friends. "You look nice today, by the way." he added.

I tried my best not to let the heat rush to my cheeks at his compliment. "Thank you."

It wasn't long before we did catch up with the group and arrived at school shortly after. Troy and Gabriella were the first ones to walk into school and the rest of the group followed. Most of us were in our own mini groups within the large group. Even though I could feel Timothy's eyes on me and Chad the whole time, Chad and I kept going with our little conversations. I was beginning to learn more about him this way. For all the years I've known this boy I've deemed a lunkhead, I never knew we had so much in common. We both loves s'mores, we couldn't stand broccoli or football, we both had at least one broken bone in our lifetime, and we like the same pizza toppings...even though Chad was now claiming after having lost some kind of eating contest to a younger student and had pepperoni stuck in his hair he swore he'd only eat cheese pizza from then on. I have to say, I do quite enjoy these little talks with Chad. It was too bad they could go on longer though, at least not this morning. We had gotten in the middle of why we both have a horrible fear of insects when Troy's voice snapped us back into reality...as someone always had to.

"Callbacks the same time as the game?"

"And the Scholastic Decathlon." Gabriella added.

Everyone in the group turned their heads to the callbacks sheet. We could see the fine print in big bold capital letters. It clearly said: "Callbacks rescheduled to Friday at 3:30". Everyone began erupting into whispers and exchanging glances. This was awful. We were just starting to blend in with each other, to get along. Now it was all being thrown down the drain.

"Who would do something like this?" I asked.

Chad had an answer, I can can tell you this right now, he was less than pleased. I could see the anger in his eyes. "I smell a rat named Darbus."

"Actually I think it's two rats. Neither of them are named Darbus."

We all turned our heads to a girl in a hat and jacket standing nearby, also eying the callback sheet. Oh yeah, that must have been Kelsi. Now I recognized her from our middle school yearbook. She was always the quiet one sitting in the music room. I wondered if she knew what was going on. Chad must have read my mind, because then he asked her something.

"Do you know something about this...small person?"

I suppose he didn't remember her name or never really met her before. But that didn't seem to stop Kelsi. She turned to face all of us and stood by the callbacks sheet. "Ms. Darbus might think that she's protecting the show, but Ryan and Sharpay are pretty much concerned with only protecting themselves." she explained.

Everyone's reaction was pretty much the same. We should have seen it coming and yet we were surprised. The Evans have stooped pretty low before but I must say, this was the lowest they've gone in quite some time. Chad was steamed up about it as well. Not that I like seeing him furious like this...but it kind of made him seem on fire. You won't tell anyone I said that, right?

"You know what I'm gonna do to those two over moussed show dogs..." he scowled, ready to storm off and find the twins. He was even willing to hand his basketball to one of the players. I'm willing to bet it would be for safe keeping until he'd be finished with Ryan and Sharpay...whenever that would be. I can tell you this much though, I have never seen Chad that angry before. When he and I argued it was a different kind of anger. But luckily, Troy stopped Chad before he could do anything.

"Nothing." Troy said quickly. Leave it to him to take charge and act as leader. "We're not going to do anything to them. Except sing, maybe." He was quite good with choosing his words, actually. Perhaps there were times that I underestimated Troy. And now I can say with assurance that I can see the reason why he was chosen as captain of the basketball team. He looked at each of us and then concluded by putting his hand in the deranged circle we had formed. "Now this is only gonna happen if we're all in this together. So who's in?"

Gabriella put her hand in right away, followed by Kelsi's. Chad and I looked at each other and we were more than happy to put our hands in. Before we know it everyone in the circle had their hands in. The only one I'm guessing who didn't do anything was Timothy. If this was a grudge he had on Chad, it had better end soon. But we sure weren't finished yet. Troy, Gabriella, and Kelsi were so eager that they put their other hand into the circle. The excitement must have gotten to Chad as well; seconds earlier he lifted his hand in the air and I could see him looking ta me from the corner of my eye. I high-fived him, but instead of putting our hands in the circle afterwards our fingers laced with each others and we could hear a few others high-fiving as well. So that's what we could start by coming together. It was an incredible chain reaction.

And as selfish an addition as this must be...I really do enjoy holding Chad's hand.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

I can't believe what went down today. Get this, Sharpay and Ryan are stooping down to a whole new level just to get their way. They're making sure Troy and Gabriella can't get to the callbacks by changing the day so it's the same time and day as the Decathlon meeting thingy and the championship game. How wrong is that? And if things weren't bad enough like that, I think I'm being punked. Some dude - if I could even call him that - on the smart team is trying to push me outta the picture and keep Taylor all to himself. That's taking wrong to a new level too, y'know! I am very angry about that.

Oh yeah...maybe I should give you the whole deal first. Well it pretty much started when I was getting ready to meet Taylor so we could meet up with the guys and we could all go to school together. Troy and Gabs, our new nickname for her, have rehearsals like an hour before homeroom so a bunch of us on the basketball team and even some school decathlon members are gonna be there, too. Taylor and I worked something out so she'd meet me in front of my house in the morning and she might bring someone from her team. Oh someone was there alright. He was trying to make a move on my girl! If I knew it was gonna be that dude, I would've just told her to come alone. Hey don't get the wrong idea or anything, I'm trying to protect her from some creepo.

So anyway I'm all early and stuff and swallowing my breakfast whole so I know I'll be out on time. Cause we all know how big Taylor is with being on time. And we're both on a good foot now so I kinda wanted to impress her a little. Then my mom had to go all rubbing it in in my face cause she knew exactly what was goin on...I think.

"Whoa whoa hey, slow down." she told me when she came into the kitchen. "I've never seen you this excited to get to school. Let alone get to school early."

"Oin ere if wiens, om." I said with my mouthful.

How she understood me, I'll never know. Hey, she's a mom. Bet it's one of her secret powers. She's a wizard. "And do one of these friends happen to be a girl you like?"

I almost choked on my food when she brought that up. "Whatever gave you that idea?" I was able to ask as soon as it was all clear.

"Oh, just a lucky guess." Mom replied all innocent-like. Yeah, I bet she was. Not. "Is this the same girl you're planning on asking out?"

I took a sip of my water and held up a hand. "One thing at a time Mom. We just stopped biting each others' heads off."

"Oh so it is that one. You know, possibly the smartest girl in your grade? I knew she was a keeper." she giggled.

I hit my head. "D'oh!" Yeah, bad time to imitate Homer Simpson, I know. But that's how I felt about it.

"Don't worry honey, I'm not going to spill the beans to your father. You know how he gets." Mom replied.

"Yeah, it becomes dating lecture central in here for the fourteenth billionth time." I rolled my eyes. I put my stuff in the sink and went up to brush my teeth. I wasn't talking to Taylor with bad bacon breath...did I even eat bacon? Maybe it was waffles. I dunno, I wasn't paying attention.

"Better hurry up. I think I see her waiting outside with a friend." Mom called.

I almost choked and spit out the water when I gargled. "Say what now?" I dropped the plastic cup and ran downstairs. I looked out the window and there was Taylor talking with the really stuck-up nerd from her Decathlon team or something. I hated that guy. C'mon Chad, keep your cool. Don't lose your temper. Don't give her the wrong idea. Don't do anything around mama.

So with that I grabbed all my stuff and walked outta the house. I got outside just as I heard em talking and I'm pretty sure I heard Taylor say something about me. "Heard my name. Hope there's good things with it." I greeted.

"Yeah right." the guy muttered, or something like that.

I glared at him knowing it wasn't something nice. "You wanna try saying that to my face?"

I was about to step in and really teach him a lesson. And I would've if Taylor didn't take me by the shoulder and keep me under control. She's good, I'm giving her that much at least. "Actually guys we really should head to school. So can we go?" she asked.

I was gonna make sure I was the first to give in. This guy wasn't gonna act all nicity-nice-nice. "Alright. We should be meeting Troy's group in about fifteen minutes anyway."

"Fine." the nerd replied fixing his glasses. "But that doesn't mean we have to like each other."

"Well what do you know, we agree on something." I said sarcastically. Gee now, wasn't this a surprise. Do you see yet why I don't like this guy...whatever his name is? So now back to my original plan and impress Taylor before he can. Well if it's gonna turn into a competition I gotta get a head start. So I turned to Taylor with my most charming smile. "Can I take your bag for you?"

Oh yeah, worked like a charm. She smiled back and let me take the handle. "Yeah, sure."

And then when I took the handle, I touched her hand for a whole second. Yeah there was definitely a rush when our hands brushed against each other like that. "Cool." I said with my same smile and started walking ahead with it. I didn't get very far, cause I thought I heard the guy tell Taylor something about me and some fake flirting? I turned back around. "Everything ok?"

"Oh we're just peachy." he replied, even though I know it was forced.

I shook my head at him and looked at Taylor as she walked over to me. "That guy bothering you?" I was fighting the urge to call her Tay. I mean I know it's some abbreviation thing for her name but I thought it suited her. And it was cute. Only problem is, I dunno if she'd go for it.

"No not at all." she shook her head. Guess I don't blame her if she's trying to stick up for one of her friend-ish people...people.

So now time to work some extra charm before we meet the guys. "By the way, you look very nice today."

I could swear I almost saw her blush. We all know how rare that sight is. "Thank you." she said with a smile.

We talked so much on our way to school. Even when we caught up with the guys it seemed like it was just the two of us talking. It was pretty cool. I always thought that Taylor and I were so different. But we had more in common than I thought. Like even though I just loved eating s'mores she really liked them because they were the perfect science experiment that you could eat. We talked about how much we hated football. She said it was dangerous and I said it was the most boring sport. And then we found out we both hated broccoli and called it icky green stuff when we were five. Oh and get this, we both have the same favorite toppings for pizza. I mean, I don't put toppings on my pizza anymore after losing an eating contest to a really big ten-year-old and getting all that pepperoni stuck to my hair, but how crazy is that? And the weird thing is that I was actually listening. When she's not being a big know-it-all, Taylor's really cool to talk to. We were on the topic of bugs when we got to school. I was almost freaking out when a bee flew by and I told her about the time I found one in my hair when I was five and I got so scared I ran back in my house and forgot it was still in my hair. I thought she was gonna laugh, but then she told me about this one time she was trick-or-treating and a really big inflatable spider fell off of someone's house and on top of her and she's been scared of bugs since. We were gonna get even more into it, but then Troy had to go and ruin the moment. He's so getting payback for it later.

"Callbacks the same time as the game?" he gasped.

Taylor and I looked over at the musical sheet thing on the bulletin board to see what it was about, and then Gabs had to chime in.

"And the Scholastic Decathlon." she sighed.

I exchanged glances with Taylor. We were so in sync today, it's like we were thinking the same thing. "Who would do something like that?" she asked.

I got mad just thinking about who was behind it. And trust me, you don't wanna get on my bad side. Someone was already on the verge of doing that anyway. "I smell a rat named Darbus."

"Actually it's two rats and neither of them are named Darbus."

We all got really confused who was talking. We looked around - Jason even looked up at the ceiling - and then we saw a really short girl with a hat and glasses also staring at the sheet. When did she get there? And who was she? Did she even go to our school? I decided to open my mouth before someone else could.

"Do you know something about this...small person?"

The girl sighed and faced all of us standing right in front of Troy and Gabriella. "Ms. Darbus may think she's protecting the show, but Ryan and Sharpay are pretty much only concerned with protecting themselves."

Now that was just wrong! So wrong! Now you know what else got me steamed today. How many times were Ice Princess and captain Clueless gonna sabotage other peoples' plans just so they can get their way. I was getting so mad over it. I didn't want Taylor seeing me this worked up but hey, if I could teach those two a lesson then I could be the big hero. Hello parade and dinner night!

"You know what I'm gonna do to those two over moussed show dogs..." I started. Heck I was even ready to throw someone on the team my basketball so it wouldn't get hurt. Well...basketballs can have feelings, too. Just y'know...when they're not doing their job on the court. Then Troy had to open his mouth once again and stop me.

"Nothing. We're not gonna do anything. Except sing, maybe." he said. He looked at all of us and had his game face on. He was really gonna do something to bring us all together and make us one team. We didn't vote him captain for nothing. "Now this is only gonna happen if we're all in this together. So who's with me?"

"I am." Gabriella said putting her hand over Troy's already.

Then Small Person put her hand in on top of theirs and everyone was adding their hands into the circle. Taylor and I even put our hands in there pretty fast too. Oh wait...I bet that nerd dude is gonna try and get her other hand or something. Well nice try buddy cause I'm gonna beat you to the punch. I looked over at Taylor and held up my hand high for a high-five. She saw it and slapped me the high-five but I wasn't gonna let her go that easily. Next thing I knew we were practically holding hands in the air. And everyone was too busy getting all their hands into the circle or hitting other high fives to even notice. Sucks for them. I'd like to see anyone try and get their hands on her now. It's a whole new plan stage and we're really gonna think of a better one this time.

Just as long as I don't have to let go of her hand!

* * *

Yes, another chapter done. Aw, look at all the bonding they're doing. ^^ The next one is probably going to be really long considering it's putting the plan into action...unless it's just the morning for that and then the plan itself is going to be in the chapter after that. I haven't decided yet. I can tell you this much, I will most likely not get any updates in this weekend. I'll be working most of Saturday, Sunday night, and possibly Monday this week. Kinda stinks for me cause that's right around the time when one of my friend's birthdays is and I gotta make her a card and wrap her gift. So I won't keep you here reading anything boring in the a/n's anymore so instead I'll just type the same thing about five times to try and punch it into your brains for no apparent reason. XD Chaylorchaylorchaylorchaylorchaylor


	14. Before & During Breaking Free

So so so so so so sorry for the wait on this story, especially since it's so close to being finished. I've been trying to work on it for the past couple of days and I haven't had the time. So while I'm typing this a/n for all I know I'll have to continue working on this tomorrow or something.I was even gonna start it earlier today than like 9 at night but i had to get a new phone and my dad just kept putting it off most of the day cause he had things to do as well, so we waited for my mom to get home from work at like 5 or something and then went. Yeah, wasn't exactly looking at my watch during all this. But I didn't start soon cause I knew if I was gonna start on a roll then I was gonna have to stop and forget something. But the good news, if any is that i now have a new phone and am just debating on a name for it. XD And a ringtone. lol But none of this really has to do with the story so enough with that and let's move on shall we? XD And please be on the lookout for more apologies in the bottom a/n!  
Not mine.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Game Day, Callback Day, Scholastic Decathlon Day...HELP!**

You all might wanna sit back and relax for this one, cause today was a long day so that means you're gonna be listening to me for a while. I don't exactly know how long you're gonna stick around for this before you end up falling asleep or get bored so I'll try and skip around to the good stuff. Now if it were me, I'd just jump right to the part about basketball. But this morning actually kinda had something to do with basketball. Plus you can see how well things are goin with me and Taylor. I think we're finally past the biting each others' heads off stage and we're finally getting somewhere. And the plan we helped come up with for today was pure genius. Troy came up with the basics, though. Like everyone does something from their own ends to make this work so he and Gabs can do some of their competitions and the callbacks. And being the loyal friends that we are we couldn't say no. Besides, Troy can be pretty persuasive...like confessing to the world I've liked Taylor since third grade. Wait...I didn't just tell you that did I? Oh man, the secret's blown already! That wasn't even supposed to happen! Ok Chad, snap out of it. Just rewind and get to the good stuff. First thing's first, let's take care of the morning.

The team all agreed to wear our jackets today. You know, the ones that star athletes like us all get and show off to the school how awesome we are. And as usual I had my faithful basketball with me. Some of the guys were already in the room and others were just hanging around in the hallway. Let's just say we got a little somethin somethin planned for the morning. So anyway Troy and I were trying to be all quiet and sneak up on Gabriella and Taylor when they weren't looking. Zeke and Jason were behind us hiding something of their told me to be quiet cause I was trying to hold back laughter. Hey I couldn't help it. I knew they'd love it. So we snuck in and got the girls from behind. Troy covered Gabriella's eyes and I covered Taylor's. Even if I was behind her and couldn't see her face I could still hear her giggling. That meant she was smiling, too. Am I good or what? And while we had their eyes covered, Jason and Zeke came over and placed a white cake on Taylor's desk with a pi sign on it. Not pie like pizza pie or cherry pie or chocolate pie or anything...is there even such a thing as chocolate pie? If there isn't there should cause it'd probably be good. Anyway the pi sign was like with all the decimals in its number. Three point something or other. Yeah, never paid attention in math class. so then Troy and I took a step back from the girls so they could see the cake for themselves. Gabriella had this huge smile on her face and Taylor looked so surprised.

"Oh my gooness...what?"

Yeah she had no idea what had been going on. Troy and I just grinned and pointed at Zeke. Gotta admit, the dude's got skills with a spatula. And I learned something very important when Troy and I were helping him make it...never try to lick the bowl when he's not done with it cause then he will kick you out of his kitchen with no questions ask. But now Zeke, the baking prodigy, was acting so modest and just shrugging his shoulders. Kinda almost made me feel bad about turning down his secret. If I knew his food was that delicious, I would've told him to open up about it years ago and make my lunch. You don't know what I lived through, my mom is horrible with lunches! She can cook just fine but she always mixes up my lunch with my dad's. She gives me ham and tuna instead of bologna. I don't even eat tuna! Well...sometimes I do, but only when my grandma makes it. She's got some special ingredient or something to make it work. I dunno, maybe cause my mom always has a habit of putting onions in the tuna my grandma replaces the onions with celery. But we'll never know.

Either way, before we could say anything else Taylor stood up. "Oh, we have something for you guys, too." she said.

I raised an eyebrow and she and Gabriella went over to one of the chalkboards. They had huge smiles on their faces and pointed to a bunch of scribbles on the chalkboard. There was a stick figure with a circle and arrow lines going into a net and a bunch of numbers and letters and a ton of other junk I couldn't read. It made no sense. what was it, ancient Egyptian?

"Ta-da!" they presented, seeming so impressed with their work.

Well, at least Troy tried to sound more enthusiastic than me, Zeke, or Jay. "oh it's...an equation."

Then they just laughed and turned the board around. Like a flippity kinda thing so it went to the other side where there was a giant fluffy wildcat...or maybe it was a bear...in a basketball uniform and making a slam dunk with a basketball into a net. Oooh...it said Go Wildcat Hoopsters on the top of the board so I guess that really was a furry brown Wildcat. But us guys were able to understand that so much easier. Best way to talk to us is with fuzzy things and simple words.

"OH!" We exclaimed laughing about it.

And then the next thing we knew, guess what? The girls pulled a bunch of toy basketballs from behind their backs like little stuffed animals or something and started throwing them at us. They attacked Troy right away and Jason jumped back. I laughed and tried to pick up a few but Taylor got to them first. She got me on the head with one and while Gabriella was standing back laughing and then Taylor had to kick Troy away with the rest of the toy balls. Man she's got better aim than I thought!

"Hey guys c'mon!" Troy told us when he saw Ice Princess and Captain Clueless walk in. He took the girls over to the stage where Ms. Darbus usually gave her lecture thingies and the rest of the theme got all lines up in the hallway. I pulled the twins over to the door right after Troy walked out.

"Stay right here." I told them with a smile before joining the guys. Gabriella and Taylor were waiting all excitedly on the stage and Ms. Darbus walked into the room, turning to look at us. I really hoped that Taylor could still see us, cause we were gonna do something awesome. See Jason and Zeke were standing on top of two chairs, a line of some of the other team was standing up straight in front of them, and the rest of us were like down on our knees. We all unzipped our jackets. "From our team to yours!" I exclaimed. Jason started out first by opening his jacket and showing a letter on his white shirt, then Zeke, then it went down and across. Troy and I went last, spelling out the last letter and...the exclamation point.

"G"  
"O"  
"D"  
"R"  
"A"  
"M"  
"A"  
"C"  
"L"  
"U"  
"B"  
"Exclamation point!"

The girls seemed overjoyed with it. I could see the bright smile on Taylor's face. Loved it. The mountain lion and her brother didn't look too mad either...almost impressed actually. Kinda scary, really. But Ms. Darbus...well see if you can believe what she said.

"Well, it seems we wildcats are in for an interesting afternoon."

And as soon as she turned back to the room everyone who was watching rushed to get back to their seats. Sharpay and Ryan were still standing in the doorway but Ryan...seemed almost as confused as Jason would be.

"Go dra..go dra...go dray...drayma?"

Yeah, he was seriously trying to read what we just spelled! Ice Princess seemed bored by it, but most of us dudes just laughed and ran back into the room.

Now I suppose you're gonna wanna hear about what I did with Taylor during the day. Well...not much, actually. During my free period I was in the gym with the guys so we could act like the game was still going on...I mean it was still going on but we had something different in mind. And I couldn't see Taylor during her free period cause if I missed that class again I'd be in major trouble. Like worse than a week's detention trouble. And we only briefly talked at lunch. She had to go over some things with her Decathlon team for their competition. you like that? I finally got it right. So yeah, lunch was out too. It was pretty busy as heck for both of us. And I wanted to see her after our last classes so I could talk to her before we put the big plan into action... but it didn't exactly work out that way. See, as soon as the bell rang at three everyone was running outta their classes with banners and Wildcats spirit stuff and everything. They were literally heading right for the gym! That's how crazy it was. I couldn't make my way through the crowds at all to try and get to I had to duck in somewhere safe till the coast was clear. C'mon, even Taylor had to go to her locker before a competition right? I was only waiting in the guy's locker room for a couple of minutes. Everyone was gonna head into the gym but if I took the right way out at just the right time, I think I'd have a pretty good chance of catching up to her. I got my uniform on while I was waiting, don't get me wrong. But Jason and Zeke were at their lockers not too far from where I was standing and I heard them talking about how Troy was in the middle of a pep talk from the coach or something. Figured the coach would give his son special treatment, right? Anyway, before they could even talk to me I made a mad dash outta there. I know, not like me at all right? So you're either thinking that I'm very sick for choosing a crush girl over my friends since elementary school...or that I'm really crazy about my crush girl. Erm...maybe I'll just leave that one to your imaginations.

Anyway I made it to her locker and I practically caught her just as she shut it and was about to leave. "Taylor!"

Awesome, that got her attention cause she turned and saw me. "Hey Chad." she replied with a smile. Oh yeah this was definitely getting good.

"Hey." I replied jogging over to her. "you ready for operation help?"

she raised an eyebrow at me. "Why name the plan that?"

I shrugged. "It just seemed appropriate."

"I'm sure it did..." Taylor replied slowly. Wait a minute...that didn't mean I was freaking her out or something did it? "So did you need something before we get started? I really should get to the science lab and get ready with the team."

Phew, that was a close one. I didn't scare her out of her witts. Wait...maybe this'd be a good time to ask her out. I stared at Taylor and waited for my mouth to say the words. And what perfect timing too, cause I couldn't get any words to come out! What was wrong with me? Were they suddenly gonna come out at the perfect time or something? What was I gonna do, say something stupid like 'so you're going with me to the after party, right'?

"Good luck today."

Why did I just say that? Everything was probably gonna get rescheduled! Stupid, stupid me.

"thanks." she said. I looked at her completely confused. And then she went on, "Don't worry. We'll make sure all goes well on the scientific end. You just worry about waiting for the signal."

Man this girl was good. It's like she could turn the stupidest thing I say into something amazing and encouraging.

"Oh...right. Yeah, no problem." I replied. She almost caught me off guard that way. What do you think was one of the things that turned me on with her in the first place?

"So...maybe I'll see you in the auditorium?" Taylor asked.

I nodded eagerly. "Yeah. Yeah definitely." Hey if it all worked out maybe we could even sit together while we watched Troy and Gabriella's callback. So sweet.

"See you then Chad." Taylor replied. She gave me a smile and walked off. Oh man I so enjoyed that smile. Wait a second...I was standing in the middle of a hallway smiling like a goofball and looking like a total idiot when we had a game to get to! So I did what any sensible man would do.... I turned around and ran like a maniac to the gym.

"Dude where were you?" Jason gasped when I got back like five minutes later. "The imaginary game's about to start!"

I hit myself on the head. "Sorry, I was on some official business."

"But you're not even in a suit." Jason said.

"C'mon let's just get our game faces on." troy said interrupting us. "Chad, do your thing."

And it was what I was best at, too. "What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"what team?"

"Wildcats!"

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"Wildcats!"

"Getcha head in the game!"

We all cheered and screamed as we ran out of the locker room and into the gym. Now I know why the brainiacs always called us cavemen...we actually almost sounded like them when we screamed like this. All the grunting and barking, pounding against the walls.... Wow was I scaring myself now. Focus, Chad focus. Play the imaginary game and then run to sit next to Taylor in the auditorium. Hold on...imaginary game? Dang, I'm starting to sound like Jason! Can't let that happen. So I did even more barking and hollering. I grabbed every basketball thrown at me as us Wildcats showed off our skills when the announcer introduced us as the home team. Oh yeah, was the crowd going as wild as ever. So much support we got. It was off the hook! And even with all of these show-offing practice shots we were practically making every one. We were so ready. Us teammates exchanged high five's and then stood off to the side so West High could make their entrance. Why did we even care again? they were the enemy here. I mean I know we weren't really gonna get to finish the game, but that didn't change the fact that they were skunkbags. Yeah, you heard me. Skunkbags. Everyone of the Knights. And their cheerleaders, they weren't even cute. At least our cheerleaders had pep and looks. I should know, I took at least one of them out almost every year...well for the most part anyway. I only got no's from two of them. And their boyfriends were not too happy about that. Trust me, you don't wanna mess with the quarterback. Or the captain of the wrestling team. Those dudes have trouble written all over them.

Mike, one of the lesser known team players, was starting up today so he faced one of our natural enemies and the ref stood between them with the basketball. We were ready for this. As soon as the timer started he tossed the ball up and it was on! We were literally battling for our lives already. The Knights had the ball, then us Wildcats, then the Knights again...and the Knights got the first basket. But we were good, we were all cool. First five minutes of the game, not even. We could do this. Troy got his hands on the ball first and totally fakes out the Knight that was guarding him. Coach was on the sidelines trying to direct us exactly where to go and what to do, naturally. As soon as I got my hands on the ball I was on fire. I'm talking sliding and swerving around everyone of those skunkbags...until they snatched the ball when I wasn't looking. yeah, so not cool.

Don't get me wrong, there were a few friend exchanges with the Knights. It was all a part of the sport. But that didn't mean we like em. Matter of fact, we hated their guts completely. And this was the championships we're talking about so we gotta take it back from them. we gotta let em know we mean business. am I right or am I right? I looked up at the clock while we waited for the next ball to get thrown out. We were just around the eight minute mark in the game. The score was tied eight to eight (how do ya like that, my number) and neither team got no fouls. So pretty much it was just starting out a basic game of varsity basketball. Anyway, let's cut to the good stuff. I'm just trying to give you the highlights and the basic details here. So probably not even ten seconds later the Knights have the ball and the lights in the gym start acting all flashy-flashy. The scoreboard goes out of whack. It goes from one number to another and so on. It was crazy man. Even the announcer was confused as to what was going on. Most of us acted like the game was still goin on, but for those of us that were around Troy he got us to stop easily. he looked up and saw what was going on. I couldn't help but look and smile either. Way to go Taylor.

"We seem to experiencing some technical difficulties. The referee is calling a time-out..." the announcer said through the sound system as the ref blew his whistle and ran across the field. I didn't even hear what else he said. All I was paying attention to was a very confused - or very angry - coach not liking what was going on and the teams heading off the court. I saw Troy still all dazed and ran over to him. What was he still doing here? He had to get his jacket and pants on and get to the stinking auditorium! I mean he was wearing pants, not like he was playing in his boxers the whole time...I was talking about real pants, not his basketball shorts. C'mon who'd even try out for a musical looking like that? Oh man what am I saying! I'm getting a case of Darbus Disease!

I shook my head and nudged Troy. he had to go like now. He looked at me and realized he had somewhere else to be. Took him long enough to remember. He made a mad dash out of the gym and a swear, it looked like he was holding up his shorts to keep them from falling as he ran. Did he really think he was gonna lose em that easily? Never mind. no one in the world wants to see that dude's boxers. Or mine. But that's a whole other story. Anyway I looked back around the gym and saw the coach pacing back and forth like a worrywart. Yeah, he was that freaked. Boy...this was gonna be good.

No one knew what was going on. The whole thing was under investigation for at least a good five minutes. Next thing we knew, us teams were waiting on opposites sides of the table where the principal was sitting waiting for an answer. Please tell us to leave the gym, please tell us to leave the gym...boy I never thought I'd be begging for that.

"We should be able to get this figured out real soon." Principal M announced through his fancy principal styled microphone. "In the meantime for safety regulations, we need to all make an orderly exit from the gym. Thank you."

At that instant everyone was leaving the bleachers, the stands, everywhere to get out of the gym. There was even a big mob to get out of the gym. We didn't even go anywhere right away. We just headed far down the hall and some people even left the building to go home or something. The coach caught up with us not too long after the crowd died down which, hopefully this was right, was while Troy and Gabriella were entering the auditorium.

"Yo Coach where do you want us to go?" Jason asked.

"We have to get out of the school." Coach Bolton replied.

"What about the auditorium?" I suggested quickly. "It's all the way on the other side of the school. We'll be safe in there and there's plenty of room. It's not even like the whole school's gonna go there." Hey as hard as it was to believe, not everyone stuck around for the basketball game. or the callbacks. Or the Decathlon. some people just liked to go home and have no lives. I don't know what they did, why are you asking me?

"I don't know." Coach shook his head.

"Good enough for me." I decided. I ran down the hallway to get to the auditorium. I heard the footsteps behind me so I knew the team was behind me, which meant that a bunch of other people had to be following them too. that's right, leave it to me to take control when Troy's not around. I do well that way. well, not good. See, my grammar's improving already. Sorry, that was me dazing off again. So long story short, we all ran into the auditorium while Darbus was having an argument with Troy or something. What, did he and Gabs not make it here on time? so not true. We planned everything perfectly! And then the Ice Princess had to go next to her on the stage like we were all here to see her. Yeah, fat chance. Well...except for Zeke maybe. No idea how he could have any feelings for that chick. speaking of girls, where was Taylor? There she was. She was walking in with the rest of the brains through the doors on the other side of the auditorium. i tried to sit as close as I could to her in the row behind her, but I was a good three of five seats away.

"Taylor. Taylor!" I called trying to get her attention. But she was really busy talking with her teammates or something. I tried to get some of the guys by me to switch seats. "Yo dude can we switch? Hey I'm talking to you..." But it was too big a madhouse. There was like nowhere to move. What was this, the exact number of people that were supposed to be in the auditorium? But I was still gonna try and get her attention. I practically leaned forward on all the guys next to me just to tap her on the shoulder. "Hey."

Taylor twitched a bit and then turned to see me. I could tell she was holding in laughter. "What are you doing?"

"Oh you know, just stretching across five different guy's to show you where I was sitting." I shrugged my shoulders.

She giggled. "Alright but I seriously think you're going to get in trouble for sitting like that."

"Well we said we might see each other here so I just figured..." I said.

"We'll have to continue this later I think they're about to start." Taylor interrupted.

"right. Yeah, of course." I nodded.

She gave me another smile and turned back to see the stage. Boy did I like that smile. Wait...then why did something still feel uncomfortable? i looked up and saw I was still stretching across the guys. "Hehe...sorry fellas." I said sheepishly before scooting back into my own seat. Phew, that was a close one.

"Dude what was up with that?" Jason whispered.

I turned to him. Oh snap did he see all that? "Uh...nothing." I lied. I straighted myself up in the seat and watched as Troy took Gabriella to the side for some kinda pep talk or something. I don't know, maybe they had a case of stage fright or something. Well, I knew Troy couldn't. The guy played for like hundreds of people on the basketball court plenty of times. I don't know what I was expecting from my bro. I guess for him to start singing off key and breaking windows...but that's the funny thing. It didn't turn out that way at all. When the music started and Troy opened his mouth to sing it was...well, good. Better than good. Who am I kidding, it was pretty dang amazing. I didn't know Troy was that good. And then when Gabriella joined him...whoa. I was totally caught off were tons better than I thought they could ever be. I mean it was one thing when they sang alone but when their voices got together...everyone was cheering. that's the easiest way to put it. That's how much everyone loved it. They even added some minor dance moves into it like we were watching a real performance. What was it Troy did that was called...? A moonwalk! That's what he was doing. They were dancing all around the piano...heck if I didn't know better I'd say they were dancing _with_ the piano. I felt Zeke tug at my shirt during the performance being so surprised. I know, I couldn't believe it either. Man these two were really winning the crowd over. I looked over at Taylor again with a big smile and hers was just as big. I started getting so excited I stood up from my seat and started clapping to the music. The whole auditorium started clapping to the tune of the song and it only seemed to feed into the energy Troy and Gabriella were giving off more. Why did I tell him doing this was a bad idea again? But he proved me so wrong on so many levels. The crowd went wild when they finished the song and the music died down. And the best part was that Ice Princess and Captain Clueless looked like they were nowhere around to ruin it.

No, scratch that. The best part was when I looked at Taylor and we still didn't stop smiling at each other. We were so gonna kick butt and take names at our real competitions now!

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

I cannot stress this enough. This is the big day. Not because of the championship basketball game this afternoon and not because this was the farthest the Scholastic Decathlon team has ever made it in a competition. This was the day we put everything into action. Troy was bringing so many different people together and we were surely going to come up with a brilliant plan. And we have. It was simple, at least as far as the line-up goes. First Troy gave us a faint idea of the plan. Such as what should happen when and what signals to use. Second, I'd have to make certain that I could use my laptop to get past the school's firewall to tap into its electronic system. Again, just to keep it simply stated. Third, be sure to inform the rest of the Decathlon team about the plan so they're not caught off guard when the competition doesn't go as they planned. Fourth, get a certain someone on that team to get a grip. Then again I suppose that could be in conjunction with the third step. One of the most important details of the plan would be going over everything in detail very closely with the basketball boys. And yes, that did mean I had the - dare I say it - privilege of working with Chad very closely again. Yes, I said it. And it was indeed a privilege. Finally, we'd have to put the plan into action. And today was the day.

I arrived in homeroom early as usual. Gabriella had joined me and we were just talking about the usual. you know, math and science...and maybe a little real girl talk here and there. Alright, fine, I confess. We were chatting about the guys for a while as well. But you don't need to know any important details in that conversation, especially when there's so much more that occurs after that. If you wish to know that badly I'll briefly sum it up: I teased Gabriella about liking Troy, she was trying to get me to admit to my crush (as if), and then about how I need to lay down the law for Timothy and tell him I'm plainly not like I said, the majority of the conversation is unimportant. What is important is when the boys did arrive. While Gabriella and I were talking, I felt someone's hands go over my eyes. Now I'm no expert but I'm sure that's what boyfriends do to their girlfriends, which is a part of high school life that I lack in. I did hear some faint grunting behind me and I'd know anywhere that it was Chad. That surely didn't mean the smile on my face faded. I had no idea what he was planning. Gabriella and I were squeezing each others' hands in anticipation and then we got a look to see what the surprise was.

"Oh my goodness.... What?" I exclaimed.

It was a beautifully crafted cake, I'm guessing vanilla unless that was merely the flavor of the frosting, with a big pi sign on it. Yes, the pi sign that most people simply know as three point one four. But like I said, I'm keeping it simple. Gabriella and I looked at the boys and right away they pointed to Zeke. And the guy looked so modest...who knew he was such a talented baker? I couldn't wait to try a slice of that! But now that the boys gave us something, it was time for Gabriella and me to return the favor.

"Oh, we have something for you, too." I told them. Gabriella and I got up and went over to a chalkboard in the back where numerous other Decathlon members were. Scribbled on the blackboard was a stick figure of what would appear to the advanced eye is a basketball player shooting the ball towards the net. We had arrows, lines, equations, you name it written all over the board. In shortest words possible, everything on the board was to determine the way to make a perfect shot with the use of mathematics such as algebraic equations and geometry as well as taking in a few minor science , as predicted, the boys' reactions were completely clueless. I couldn't help but smile at the way Chad made his confused face. note to self, make him confused more often.

Troy, however, seemed to attempt to understand the method to our madness. "Oh, it's...an equation...."

We just laughed and flipped the board to the other side. time to let our artistic side shine. This side was much more colorful; there was a large brown Wildcat shooting a basketball into a hoot and across the top read Go Wildcat Hoopsters. Whoever said the creative and logical minds couldn't mix? the boys seemed to understand it much easier, because they were exclaiming gibberish and smiling at the artwork. That was our cue. Gabriella and I picked up some stuffed basketball toys we had stashed just for the occasion and started throwing them at the boys. They were all so caught off guard. Troy put up the best fight as far as throwing them back at us went, but we all burst out laughing when one of the balls bounced off of Chad's head. Once that was all over, the jocks were running out into the hallway and unzipping their jackets. Troy lead Gabriella and I onto the stage in the classroom where Ms. Darbus usually lectured from and Chad led Sharpay and Ryan to the doorway as Ms. Darbus made her way into the classroom.

"From our team to yours." Chad told them. Then one at a time, going down a row, all of the basketball boys revealed a letter on their t-shirts under their jackets that spelled out "GO DRAMA CLUB!" Gabriella and I thought it was fairly cute. Definitely a nice way to show their support. And the cake for our team...more than generous. Ironically, Ms. Darbus didn't seem...well to put it bluntly, not thrilled.

"Well, it seems we Wildcats are in for an interesting afternoon." she stated. And as soon as she turned to come into the classroom, all of us who were watching the boys made our way back to our seats. If anyone was caught on Ms. Darbus' stage they'd have a detention written all over their faces. But even though I couldn't see or hear the boys anymore, as they ran back into the room I could have sworn I heard Ryan actually trying to read what the jocks spelled out!

Now this bit is quite disappointing, but I'm afraid I didn't have any time spent with Chad today like we've been doing lately. Like with our minor meetings and everything. nothing big, just working out on the plan and everything...and of course when we were the ones who plotted to tear Troy and Gabriella apart in the first place. But it's been a really busy day. The team has to keep going on believing that the competition will happen. That took up time during study hall and lunch, not to mention how much Chad must be preparing for the game. so as far as all of that goes, today was as normal as it was when the status quo was actually enforced. Well...until after the final bell rang hallways had been so crowded with the majority of the student population making their way to the gym to witness the big game it was more than slightly difficult for me to open up my locker. It wasn't until nearly ten minutes after the final bell rang that I was able to remove the lock from my locker and gather all of my books. But just as I was about to leave, guess who decided to make an appearance.

"Taylor!"

I turned on my heel. I knew that voice, of course. I smiled when I saw him coming over to me. "Hey Chad."

"Hey." he replied, jogging his way over and stopping in front of me. "You ready for operation help?"

I gave him a crooked smile and quirked an eyebrow. That certainly was an interesting name for the plan. Yes it suited the current situation but still...."Why name the plan that?"

"It just seemed appropriate." Chad shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sure it did..." I said slowly. In other words he was restating the obvious. Yes, this was but a mere issue at this point that I had with Chad. And as ironic as this probably sounded coming from me...it would probably be more entertaining to give the plan a name like a code name. I know, so not like me. "So did you need something before we get started? I really should get to the science lab and get ready with the team." I asked him. I mean, surely there had to be a real reason for his rushing to find me. Not to ask me out, I'm certain. Though it would be nice....

Chad was silent for at least a minute. He was just staring at me and I'm not even sure why. I know that from any facial expression he gave it would be that much easier to read into his thoughts but...I just couldn't penetrate them this time. "Good luck today."

That's all he came here to say? Good luck? "Thanks." I said. I have to admit, I was a bit confused by his words, but then I realized what he was getting at. "Don't worry. We'll make sure all goes well on the scientific end. You just worry about waiting for the signal."

"Oh...right. Yeah, no problem." Chad said.

"So...maybe I'll see you in the auditorium?" I wondered. Yes I know...more wishful thinking. But at this point in time, might as well dream. Besides now you've got me all figured out on the boy meter haven't you?

"Yeah. Yeah definitely." he nodded, seeming much more enthusiastic.

"See you then Chad." I gave him a smile and headed down the hall towards the science lab. I must admit, it was awfully sweet of him to come and find me just to say good luck and make sure we were ready. It also proved how loyal a friend he was to Troy. So now it was my turn to prove my loyalty. I had to get to the science lab, set everything up, and help Gabriella land that role.

As I entered the room I greeted Gabriella and my teammates. Luckily Timothy would not be accompanying us at the table but rather remain on the sidelines until he was needed. that was good for me, as I did not need to deal with him our team as well as the others met in the center to hear the rules from one of the judges, I briefly saw Gabriella wave to her mother, who must have just arrived in the audience with the other parents to watch us. Good for the judge went over the last of the rules for us, the announcer's dignified voice escaped the microphone. No need for more sound than needed for a competition like this, after all.

"Welcome to the tenth annual Scholastic Decathlon. East High Wildcats versus West High Knights."

The audience politely applauded and our team went over to greet the rest of our teammates. We were all quite excited, as anyone could tell. As I passed by Martha, my eyes landed on Timothy. His arms were folded and I could easily read his glare through his thick glasses.

"not at the game cheering on your boyfriend?"

"timothy, not now." I scolded. "Chad and I are not like that. Now can you please remain focused? We have a competition to win."

"That you're going to ditch to see him kick the enemy's-" he started but luckily before the next word could come out of his mouth Gabriella interrupted us.

"Taylor I think it's time we take our seats. Is your laptop set up?"

I looked at Gabriella and nodded. Each team was allowed one laptop but we had to be careful with how much we used it. In our case it wouldn't necessarily be needed for this competition. "Yeah. It's ready."

"Let's get to our seats." she replied.

I nodded and followed her over to our chairs, as we were the first two at the far end. "Thanks for the save Gabriella."

"Don't worry about it." she shook her head. "But you do know..."

Oh believe me, I knew exactly where this was going. "no boy talk now Gabriella. We have to think brains and we have to think speed. Save the boy on your mind for when you need to."

"Alright, alright." Gabriella giggled, giving in.

Shortly after we made it to our seats, one of the judges read the first question. Gabriella and the Knight from the other end stepped up to their respective boards and picked up a marker for the white board. Upon their arrival, the judge repeated it once more before signalling for them to begin writing. While it was irresponsible of me to not be paying attention, I suppose my mind was elsewhere. I had to focus on the plan yet make it seem like the Decathlon was the only thing on my mind. I could do this. Messing up was not an option. The clocks for each team were ticking and the tension only increased. Gabriella was scribbling down what looked like an equation fairly quickly, but her opponent was doing a good job of catching up. I almost wondered if she had a chance against him. She had brains on her side and I'm sure the Knight did as well, but his reflexes seemed to be much faster. Come on Gabriella, you can do this. And, though I'm sure you already saw this coming, she did it. Gabriella finished the last bit just before he did and ran over to our team's clock, pressing on top of it so it made a faint sing. The judge with the respective question on his card stood up from his seat and took his time to evaluate Gabriella's answer. Gabriella waited by the team's side. She and I were once again squeezing each others' hands in hopes that this put us in the lead. As soon as the judge took his eyes off of the board, he smiled and pointed to our team. The boys applauded loudly while us girls...squealed. There I said it. Squealed. Not exactly something I've accommodated myself to do. Gabriella and I exchanged hugs followed by her going over and congratulating her opponent for a job well done.

But we didn't have much time to do anything else. As Gabriella and I sat back down we looked at the clock nonchalantly. Three thirty-five. It was time. I discretely pulled open my laptop and typed very delicately on the keyboard. Gabriella was watching over my shoulder and I nodded towards her. "Alright Wildcats, time for an orderly exit from the gym." As soon as I was done typing, I clicked on a button that read "send code" and the bar on the bottom indicated that the Wi-Fi signal was being sent. Quite a helpful program, this was. A code transmitter, to be precise. I knew it would come in handy one day. As soon as the note "message transmitted" appeared on the screen, I simply closed my laptop case and waited for the next signal. In less than three minutes, the scoreboard in the gym should be going haywire and the basketball team as well as all of the fans should be told to stop the game and exit the gym. Moments later, right on schedule, I was able to send another code. Once again I closed my laptop ever so discretely. Gabriella kept her eyes on the beaker in the center of the stage and I started wrinkling my nose. Let's just say I might have secretly messed with the chemical in the beaker a little. Gabriella and I knew it was time because I started shaking my head and removing myself from my chair while Gabriella covered her nose. The chemical in the beaker started bubbling and emitting a horrible stench. Our team was out the back doors first, and everyone else was more than just a little bothered by it. The judges signaled for everyone to exit the doors in an orderly fashion and find a safer place than the lab to stay in. One thing was for sure, Gabriella's mother couldn't be too far behind us. That meant one thing...Gabriella had to make a run for it.

"Go." I whispered to her once we were the first ones out. "I'll be in the auditorium soon."

Gabriella nodded and started running as fast as she could down the hall, her heels clicking along with her. I sighed with relief. Everything went according to plan. Now we just had to hope that she and Troy would make it there on time.

Martha was the first to catch up to me, followed by none other than Timothy. "Taylor what's going on?"

"We have to get away from that smell, what else?" I replied.

"So where to?" she asked.

"Why not the auditorium? There's plenty of space in there and I'm sure it'll be a safe distance from the lab." I suggested.

timothy just shook his head at me and folded his arms. "You planned this didn't you? Just so you could sneak away to the basketball game. I knew it!"

"Why don't you stop being a jealous pig and just go along with this for once? Get over it Timothy." I informed him. "It doesn't matter who I like or where I want to be, but we can't continue our competition in there, and it's highly doubtful that we could set up another room easily without staying too late or completely rescheduling everything."

Timothy gritted his teeth. I could tell he was furious and, quite frankly, I didn't care.

"Maybe we should get to the auditorium. There's plenty of room for everyone in there." Martha stepped in.

I so owe her. "Thanks Martha." I replied. With that we made our way towards the auditorium. Just as long as I didn't have to sit near Timothy I'd be fine. Besides, it's none of his business how I feel about Chad. Even before all of this happened, I'm sure I'd choose him over Timothy. Well...I guess I would either way, but even if all I saw Chad for was an egotistical jock and Timothy a hot-tempered jealous brain then I would still pick Chad first. Speaking of which, I wondered if I'd be able to find him in the auditorium. Since we were coming from the opposite end of the gym, that meant we'd be going in through the doors closest to our side. While we entered through the left doors, then jocks and such would most likely enter through the right doors. I was able to retrieve a seat towards the middle, yet not too far from the edge of the aisle. I looked around after sitting down but didn't catch sight of Chad. Yes, you'd think it would be a snap to see anyone with his hair. But it was distinct. I wondered if it was as soft as it looked, too...alright now I'm getting ahead of myself. I shook my head and looked towards the stage where I saw what looked like a conflict between Ms. Darbus, Troy and Gabriella, and Sharapy. where did she come from anyway? No way we were here to see another Sharpay performance. I rolled my eyes at the thought. turning to one of the girls on the Decathlon who was sitting beside me we began to make small talk until it was all settled. After all that's what everyone else was doing. But then, moments later, I felt an odd tap on my shoulder. I almost jumped forward a bit, as it took me by surprise. Yet when I turned my head to the row behind me...you're not going to believe this...I saw Chad stretched over a few basketball players. Did he really try and lay on top of them just to talk to me?

"Hey." Chad said with a goofy, yet attractive, smile.

I looked at him and tried to hold in my laughter. This was too good to be true. I had to find out what his real motive was for doing this. "What are you doing?"

"Oh you know, just stretching across five different guy's to show you where I was sitting." he appeared to be joking.

I giggled. "Alright but I seriously think you're going to get in trouble for sitting like that." No, I'm sure that he would.

"Well we said we might see each other here so I just figured..." Chad started, but unfortunately I had to interrupt him when I saw the light dimming.

"We'll have to continue this later I think they're about to start." I told him.

"Right. Yeah, of course." he replied. Wait...did he really sound that disappointed? I'd better cheer him up before turning away from him. So I gave him a warm smile and turned to face the stage. But as I did so, I could feel the eyes of my teammate on me. I just innocently shrugged my shoulders and waited for Gabriella to start singing. She was in center stage, but for some reason even with the microphone to her mouth she wasn't singing. What was wrong? Gabriella that's your cue! Start singing! Obviously something was going on. I raised an eyebrow as I saw Troy walk over to her. It was most likely a pep talk. Frist of all, that's what he does and second of all he has to do that if he's the captain of any team. whatever he did it seemed to work. The lights on the stage dimmed more, aside from some faint lights most likely coming from the ceiling and Troy started singing first. He had a lovely voice, I must confess. And then when Gabriella sang beside him...pure beauty. The way they were so in sync as they moved across the stage and did every little motion...it had such a romantic feel to it. I'm no hopeless romantic or anything, but I can still see romance when it's right in front of me. And not only was there romance between the two of them but there was chemistry.

The longer the song went on the more they both got into it. They began moving around the stage even more and raising their voices. I couldn't see their faces very well nor the glee that must have been vibrant in their eyes but I could most certainly tell from their voices that there was passion. I put my hand to my chest, feeling guilty for trying to take that away from them in the first place. It was so beautiful. I had a huge smile plastered onto my face and I turned to the row behind me to try and catch Chad's eye. surely enough I did, and he had just a big a smile. And then he did something very brave. He stood up and started clapping to the beat. This is what I mean by being so loyal. He was the first one to truly accept what Troy and Gabriella were doing while everyone was just enjoying the music. I became captivated by his actions and joined in, removing myself from my seat and clapping along. It didn't take much time before even more people joined us and the beat from our hands nearly equaled the powerful voices escaping Troy and Gabriella. With the final verse at hand, they lowered their voices and we stood in anticipation. It was angelic, if anything of the most minimal description. As soon as the final note escaped them, the entire auditorium was in applause. I couldn't be more proud of Gabriella. She didn't just stick to what everyone else told her to do. She did something so much more. The brilliant girl that she really was, was so much more. It was a shell that was keeping parts of her passions locked away for no one to see. But now that shell was broken and not only was she a brilliant young woman but a very talented singer. Truly inspiring and simply remarkable. It began to make me wonder if I had someone like that waiting to break out from my own genius appearance as well.

And when I glanced back at Chad, I knew that Gabriella wasn't the only one 'breaking free'. And like Troy was able to stand by her and reveal a whole new side to Gabriella, I knew that if anyone could pull a new me from my shell it was Chad.

* * *

And finally this chapter is finished! I couldn't even get half of Chad's point of view done in one day. I'm amazed I wasn't rushing to finish the whole thing. Yeah, long story. Anyway once again tons of apologies for the wait. A long chapter as part of the apologies...and because I know there was a request for this chapter to be long instead of breaking it down into two chapters. XD So technically that only leaves one chapter from the movie. From the movie being the key words. so yeah, not exactly a lot of Chaylor stuff going on in this chapter but you do see hints of it ready to burst out. I kept going back and forth between the book and the movie for this chapter so that might've been another reason for it taking a while as well. Now since its Tuesday I have work the next two days so most likely no updates. Possibly any update on Friday but if not I will be sure to update on Monday. Hopefully I won't be working then as I don't know my schedule for next week yet. And as far as my phone goes, I'm either naming it Chad, Lucas, or Larry. XD Yeah, just thought I'd share that random tidbit. Because I also know that makes my phone a guy. lol And any time it's slow at work I will be hand writing the next chapter of Beauty and the Beast for all those of you who are reading it. At this point there should be ten chapters done and I will return to work on it after I am finished catching up on my other stories...or most of them anyway. And lastly, I would like to give one more apology for the wait on this chapter: **http:// img21. image shack. us /img21/479/ picturehsmcharacter. jpg (NO SPACES!)** A little something I drew from looking at one of my HSM3 uno cards one night while my dad was using my computer. So until my next update...good night people! Or computers!


	15. Curtain Call

I haven't updated in a while have I? My last few days at work I've been writing down ideas for this chapter, like going back and forth between Chad's and Taylor's point of view. So today I've been doing pretty much nothing but watching movies and I really need to get into the whole writing thing. Just had to go and lose focus like that. XD So let's get on with this story shall we?  
I do not own anything.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Curtain Call (Before & After "We're All in This Together")**

"Alright team, now we may be in the lead but we can't go getting cocky." I said to the Scholastic Decathlon during our break for the competition. I'm certain it's obvious at this point that we're winning. But let's be honest, if we get cocky then there's no way we're going to win. That's letting our confidence get the better of us. We don't need to be full of ourselves to be confident. I know we can do this. Give me one good reason why we can't win, I mean we're Wildcats! Whoa...Chad must have really rubbed off on me.I never felt that much spirit before. It feels kind of good. Actually...it feels really good. I'm aware that in the past people have seen me as stuck up or nothing more than a smart donkey, maybe even a teacher's pet. But that's not me. And it's not who I want to be. By doing this, just being so spirited and really trying to help the team and the school for the better, I really feel like it's worth it. when I said Chad was the one who could help me break free, I wasn't kidding.

I decided to wrap this up so we could spend the remainder of our break getting in the zone. We needed absolute focus, after all. "Alright so when we get back out there let's give it our all. We can and will do this. It's our turn to show everyone what East High is made of: brains and brawn."

"Aren't you going to ask 'what team'?" Gabriella teased.

I couldn't turn red, not in front of the Decathlon. Why did she have to bring up even the most minor thing to make me think of Chad?

And yet Timothy didn't seem to buy it. He kept thinking that if he did something great or could sweep me off my feet, then he could win me over. Here it comes.... "Taylor will you go out with me?"

My head snapped over to him. Timothy had never made me so angry! "Now now Timothy." I scowled.

"Why won't you go out with me?" he demanded.

"Because I don't like you." I insisted.

"right, because you're in love with lunkhead Danforth." he mocked me.

"Stop putting words in my mouth!" I argued. "Timothy, why jump down my throat now of all times?"

"Guys maybe we should focus on the competition. We're back in five minutes." Gabriella told us. See, this is why I admire her. She was generally a good person and tried to act as the peacemaker between everyone. Too bad it wasn't that simple. But we had nothing to lose, right?

"You know, Gabriella has a point." I told him."So let's save this petty little argument for any other time but now."

And at that instant me phone began ringing. I looked at the caller ID but like most of my calls it was under an unknown name. I decided to answer it, just to see who it was. I walked away from the group so I could have a proper conversation.

"Hello?"

"Hey Taylor."

My heart must have jumped when I heard Chad's voice. It took me almost twice as long as it normally did to respond to a mere 'hey' on my phone. I mean, come on...Chad Danforth was calling me! "Hey Chad..."

"I just wanted to see how your competition was going." he replied.

"We're doing pretty well. We're finishing our break right now." I answered. "And your basketball game?"

"We've done worse. Practically tied. Coach and Troy even let me give a pep talk before the second half." he said.

"That's amazing." I said with a smile. He sounded so excited about it.

"Yeah. I'll have to tell you about it after the game. I mean...if I see you after the game..." And now he almost sounded nervous. Two words: so cute. Boy that sounded kind of wrong to say in my mind. Last time I said 'so cute' was when I was five and watching a hamster run in a maze.

"Maybe we will see each other after the game." I couldn't help but tease.

I almost swore i head him chuckle on the other end. "I look forward to it. Kick some butt Tay...lor."

I blinked. did he almost call me Tay? "Thanks. You, too..." I managed to say.

"Cool." he replied mildly quickly.

"And Chad?" I asked, barely stopping him from hanging up.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"how did you get my number?" I raised an eyebrow.

Chad chuckled. Was he teasing me back? "Let's just say I asked around."

I nodded. He sounded awfully nonchalant about it. But I decided not to question. Instead I'd tease back some more...if I could continue to do so. "I'd do the same with you, but now your numbers on my list of received calls."

"Well in that case, you know where to reach me." Chad responded. Knowing him he was smirking by now. "Later."

"See ya." I replied before hanging up. I breathed for a minute and then started fanning myself. I was really going to need to cool myself down after that! But I didn't have a chance to. The bell sounded saying it was time for the competition to resume. I rushed back into the room. Luckily none of my teammates had a chance to ask me who had called or why I might have been blushing by then...which I really wasn't hoping I was doing. The great thing about the current situation was that the Scholastic Decathlon competition was the perfect opportunity to take my mind off of Chad. Obviously it worked well. Because you wouldn't believe the results of the competition.

"We won! I can't believe the Decathlon actually won something important!" Martha exclaimed as we charged out of the classroom when it was over.

"We did it!" I squealed. "And it's all thanks to you Gabriella." I pulled my best friend in for a tight hug. Yes, my best friend. It felt so good to say.

"Taylor I didn't do all the work." she giggled hugging me back. "We won it together."

"Yes we did." Timothy said with a smile as he walked over to us.

I groaned and turned to face the smart yet deranged boy. "Please tell me this isn't another one of your failed attempts to ask me out."

"It's not." he told me with an awkward smile.

"Oh thank God." I sighed with relief. The last thing I needed was him trying to make another move on me.

"It's an attempt to win you over and then ask you out." he replied.

Honestly, if I were drinking water right now I'd spit it right out of my mouth. timothy has irked me five too many times. And I'm sure the five is nothing more than a mere estimate. He has probably annoyed me so many times I lost count after ten. "Timothy, for the last time: I do not want to go out with you." I emphasized every word so he could get the message.

Now so much luck there. "Oh, Taylor. I think I know the way to your heart." and what, now he's Mr. Smooth Guy? Who is he kidding? "You like to play hard to get. I understand. Maybe if I had something of more value, like say a necklace?"

How I wish that Chad was here right now. I'd love to see him kick Timothy's little.... "Timothy, no!" I exclaimed. "Nothing you do will ever win me over. I do not like you, I have never liked you before, and I will never like you even if you were the last boy on Earth! So stop trying and just leave me alone!"

"Why, so you can be with the guy you proclaimed 'lunkhead'?" he demanded.

"Stop trying to get me confused! It will never work. You know something, you're more of a lunkhead than he ever was. Chad is a great guy. And you just can't see that because as high as your IQ and GPA is you will never be him and you will never be able to see why I'd choose him over you. Do you want to know why I'd do that, Timothy? Do you want to know why I'd rather date a jock than someone who's supposedly ni my own clique? No, it's not for variety. And no, it's not to try and climb the ladder of popularity. Let me tell you something, Timothy and I'm only going to say this once so listen loud and clear. I'd rather go out with a selfish egomaniac who loves basketball more than a respectable woman instead of some stubborn stalking pig!"

I saw his mouth drop. Like as low as it could go. I really hope that means he got the message because I do not want to repeat myself to this guy again. I couldn't even tell if Timothy's face was red from embarassment or not. I turned to Gabriella and Martha, and their mouths were dropped as well. It's like they couldn't believe I'd say any of those things. I suppose this time I did take my inherited McKessie Ice to a whole new level. I didn't mean to catch either of them off guard or just scare them like that. But if it keeps Timothy off my back then it's most definitely worth it. I was done playing along with his little game. I was finished just dealing with him. It was time for me to go after the guy I wanted because I didn't want to be held back anymore. And I didn't care what anyone said or thought anymore.

I headed down the hall and made my way towards the gym. I heard footsteps behind me and for a minute I thought it was Timothy trying to catch up with me. I thought I made myself clear that I did not want to deal with him anymore. I picked up my speed to go faster but the footsteps only got louder. They were really trying to catch me. But listening closer to the sound of the footwear touching the tiled floor I came to a simple conclusion: Timothy did not wear heels. Those were the sounds of heels clicking against the floor. To be more precise, it most resembled the clacking of low heels.

"Taylor!"

I gave in and stopped walking. The good news was that it was Gabriella, so I would much rather stop for her than Timothy. It was a relief, actually. I was not in the mood to try and outrun Timothy right now. Seriously I was not trying to play hard to get. "What Gabs?"

"Are you sure you weren't too harsh on Timothy?" she wondered, catching up to me.

"After everything he put me through I highly doubt it." I shook my head. "I could care less about that neanderthal."

Gabriella looked at me wide-eyed. Was it something I said? I wish I could say I was joking about the look she was giving me, but I wasn't. It looked like she couldn't believe a single word coming out of my mouth. "I'm surprised you'd say something like that about one of your own." she told me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well it just seemed like you'd say that about someone outside of your own clique. Like a jock. Like say, Chad." she shrugged her shoulders.

"Do I really seem like that kind of person?" I asked, feeling a bit hurt that she would even think that, that I could even give off a vibe like that.

"Of course not." Gabriella replied. "It's just that you seemed to enforce the status quo so highly."

Gabriella may be sincere but she is incredibly naive. Any person could interpret her sweetest comments as something mean or hurtful. Take Sharpay, for example. Anything Gabriella would say to her, Sharpay would either take them as insults or consider them some form of fighting words. But I know that Gabriella means well. I had no idea I could be anything like what she was describing me as. I hate to say it, but it kind of makes me wonder what Chad thinks of me. If he really sees something other than a brilliant witchy science nerd or if that's all I'll ever be. and there he was being some hero basketball boy, not the lunkhead basketball man I always deemed him as. how could I ever live up to those standards?

"Taylor?"

My head snapped back to Gabriella. How long had I been lost in my thoughts?

"You didn't say anything." she explained. "Is everything ok?"

I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings. Truth be told, I suppose I was living in my own little world. "I'm fine. I'm sorry, I must have gotten a little distracted."

"I didn't say anything mean, did I?" she gasped.

"Of course not." I promised shaking my head. "I think I actually figured something out."

"what's that?" she wondered.

"That there's no need for such a strict separation of cliques just because we're all different. We have a lot more in common than we realize and if we just saw that, then we might be able to associate with people different from us easier and realize that we're more alike than we could have imagined. If we just came together as a school we would be able to show our support for each other and win at anything we try to accomplish. With a support group as big as East High, we would most certainly have a better chance at winning. I think that's what's been holding the Decathlon team back all this time. No one ever cared about some team of brainiacscompeting to see who was the smartest before and we all felt insulted by that." I explained. "Then you come along and we felt better because with someone as smart as you on our team none of us thought we could ever lose again. Or so we thought. But Chad gave a pep talk to his team earlier. And he gave a shout-out to shows even though we're all different we're still fighting for the same school. We want to win - that's our common goal. He's routing for us, Gabriella. And that's a great feeling."

"So you really think that highly of Chad? And Troy?" she inquired, quirking an eyebrow most likely from curiosity. Supposedly it was to confirm everything.

"Of course I do. I mean, I can't turn down passion. Which is obviously something they both have for their game. It shouldn't have mattered what I thought, but my doubt got the better of me for too long." I said sincerely.

"Who really liked Chad Danforth." she added.

"Who really likes Cha-" I almost finished. My eyes widened just before I could finish adding the d to his name. "Hey!" I gasped.

Gabriella giggled. I can't believe she was actually finding this...entertaining! "Well you admitted it."

"I admitted nothing." I said quickly.

"you said you like Chad." Gabriella sang with a smile as she skipped away.

At first I didn't say anything. I mean, Gabriella was out of earshot. It wouldn't matter if I admitted anything or not. But the funny thing was, I didn't care. It didn't matter to me whether I admitted it or not. I liked Chad. A lot. And for once, I didn't care what anyone said. What mattered is what I thought. And I was done denying any feelings I had. So I just stood where I was and smiled. It was true; Gabriella was right. But that didn't mean she was going to get away with it. I laughed and chased after her.

"Get back here Gabriella! I said nothing!" I called as I chased her into the gym.

It was hard to keep up with her. Actually, I couldn't even catch up to was too far ahead of me. and ehre we are racing like a couple of elementary schoolers. It was so classic but so childish. She made it to the gym long before me. The first thing I saw walking in there was everyone cheering. The Wildcats must have one the championships. I had to go congratulate Chad. And Troy, of course. I was running towards them and, wouldn't you know it, I ran into Chad. You'd think it was almost something out of a romance movie. He actually saw me coming and just wrapped his arm around me. He spun me around so we were facing each other and he had this huge smile on his face. I was so startled by his actions that I grabbed onto his jersey shirt...tight.

"so, you're coming with me to the after party right?"

My mouth dropped open. Did Chad really just ask me out? I had to be dreaming...please no one pinch me! "Like on a date?" I gasped.

But Chad barely noticed my freaking out, thank God. He was so busy smiling and nodding his head,being so cool about it. Oh man how that boy works wonders on a girl! "Well it must be your lucky day."

I couldn't even bring myself to answer. I was just so excited. It was completely unbelievable. I couldn't contain the joy. I smiled widely and ran right over to Gabriella. I just had to tell her the good news! "Chad just asked me out!" i exclaimed. We giggled like a couple of school girls. But our moment was interrupted as Sharpay walked over. I didn't even know what she was talking to Gabriella about, but honestly I didn't care. I was just in pure bliss. And then, everyone had a reason to be happy. Everyone in the gym - including members from West High - joined in this huge spur of the moment pep ralley. we were singing and dancing, just being together and celebrating that and the fact that the status quo was broken and we could finally put all of the madness we went through behind us. Skaters were dancing with cheerleaders, goths were bopping their heads with the debate team, the art club was starting a conga line with the football team...and the best part was that Chad and I got to dance together! It was just the most amazing feeling!

When the pep ralley was all over the gym started clearing out. Chad had offered to walk me to my locker which I just couldn't believe. He was sush a gentleman. I can't believe I never noticed that about him before. Unless it was just some kind of trick...no, that was not Chad. He was different now. We were both different.

"That was totally awesome in there." he said to me.

"I know. I still can't believe you guys won." I replied.

"Oh yeah, you should've seen us out there." Chad then went in to explaining almost every little detail of how the game went. I couldn't even follow everything he said. Alright, I could barely even follow half of the stuff he was saying. But that was mostly from me not knowing anything about basketball. I wasn't completely lost in his looks. But whenever he finished talking he must have seen me with a confused look. There was this awkward silence for a moment but then he just chuckled.

"What's so funny?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well as much as I'd get a kick out of saying 'I should've known you wouldn't know much about basketball' I know that would get me a one-way trip to the moon." he admitted. "But I'm really the idiot one for babbling on and on."

"No, you're not an idiot." I shook my head. "And I appreciate you not saying what you wanted to and you knew you were smart enough not to say it."

Chad chuckled again. It must have been contagious, because he got me smiling. "What can I say? i like a girl who's not afraid to tell it like it is." he said.

"i don't think I could have ever imagined." I said stopping at my locker. I removed the lock after putting in the combination.

Chad leaned up against the locker beside mine, looking right at me. "Well there is plenty you don't know about me. And I'm sure there's plenty more to know about you."

"I sense you're going somewhere with this." I stated. Actually, I liked it this way. Our conversations were simple and we were able to just treat each other like normal people. He wasn't a basketball guy and I wasn't head of the nerd patrol.

"All the more reason for us to go out on a date." Chad replied.

I turned to face him and he was still smiling. I don't care how many girls fawned over Troy's smile, I thought Chad's was so much nicer.

"so about that date...I assume it was a yes?" Chad asked raising an eyebrow.

His nervousness returned. I could see it in his eyes. He wasn't afraid of rejection was he? Now I could just give him an answer right away but what fun would that be? I made it look like I was thinking about it as I slowly closed my locker. That must have been eating at the poor I couldn't let it take advantage of me. I folded my arms and raised an eyebrow, tilting my head every once in a while to examine him. I just couldn't last much longer after that. He was biting his lower lip and probably forcing himself not to blink. I think I put Chad through enough torture.

"Well then it much be my lucky day." I answered with a smile.

Chad smiled widely. "I'll...I'll come by your house at seven."

"It's a date." I replied with a smile. "I'll see you tonight." I watched him to continue smile and decided to leave him like that while I walked towards the exit. This felt so real there was no way it could be a dream no matter how much I believed it was. I mean, the Decathlon and basketball teams on, Troy and Gabriella got together, and Chad and I were going to the after party together. It was just perfect. That only left one thing to do.... I had to go get ready!

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

This was it. All or nothing. The last chance. All for one. now or never. Let me tell you, that's how big this game was. I mean we had to have the big game the next day thanks to the master plan of me and Taylor (and Troy). But it was worth it. If you thought we were gonna give it our all when we were faking it then you should see us now. The whole entire game was neck and neck. Look at me, I'm all jumpy just remembering it. But it was seriously that awesome. And I'm not exaggerating. I'll prove it to ya. Check it out.

Every time West made a shot, East made a shot of our own. But then we made a three pointer, courtesy of yours truly, but then of course they had to go and make a three pointer, too! They kinda one-upped us in the first half. Now I could give you the long, detailed, sporty version or I could give you the short summary , we'll go with the short story. Let's just say that when I explained it to Taylor she didn't follow the long version at all. I'll tell you about it later. But she did keep asking me questions, she she was really into it. How cool is that? Sorry, off topic. Where were we...?

Oh yeah. So by then ten minute mark in the first half we pretty much left off where we were. You know, during the fake game? Yeah, so that was the same score. We were all back, forth, back forth all across the was crazy man. We made a couple of foul shots but with the way West was cheering that made it feel totally lousy. Where was the love for us? So when West had us down by four points it got incredible. Jason actually stole the ball from right under their noses! He was moving at the speed of light. Passed it to Troy and made a shot right from the three point line. But that was kinda depressing for me. I didn't get to touch the ball much. But then again, hey it was only the first half. There was still plenty of game left. And don't forget, I'm the one who gives the team spirit. Who else is gonna yell 'what team, wildcats' and all that? Exactly my point. It's my thing, man.

When the first half was over we had to head back into the locker room. Coach had to give us the sweet pep talk. "Alright, now this game is neck and neck and we're down by one point but it isn't time for the final buzzer yet. Now you could think about how important this game is to us and the schooland feel the pressure, or you can go out there and play your hardest and it won't even matter whether we win or lose." the Coach was telling us. And lemme tell you, this guy knows how to move the team. "Now some of you may be thinking a few you're only as good as your weakest link. That you're only a winner when you do win. That if you make that final basket and save us from utter defeat then you'll be a hero to the team and the school. And I'm gonna tell you this right now: none of that is true. It's a bunch of hocus pocus! You wanna know what's gonna make me proud? What's gonna make you all winners? It's that if you go out there and try your hardest. You can't do better than your best. And I'm not asking you to. I'm telling you to go out there and play the game just like you would with any other one."

"WHAT TEAM?" I yelled. Hey I couldn't help it. It was a spur of the moment thing. And Coach's speech was really moving.

But everyone did the same thing they always did. "WILDCATS!"

The Coach actually smiled while he watched us. Aw gee, we were making him proud already. He's such a big softy isn't he? "Alright captain," he told Troy when we died down, "anything you'd like to add?"

Troy nodded. He got up and walked over to his dad - I mean Coach. He faced us; we were all leaning against our lockers, on the floor, or on the benches. It was so cramped in here that sometimes it felt like there were video cameras watching our every move.

"Coach is right guys," Troy started. It may be the championship game and it may be our sworn enemy out there, but we can't treat it any differently than any other game we played before. Guys...we made it. And we should be proud we made it this far. I know I am, especially because we did it as a team. I said to Chad, Zeke, and Jason that we win together and lose together as teammates. So let's get out there and show everyone what a great team we are. We can do this. I believe in us, I believe in my friends, and I believe we have a real chance at that championship. And if you don't take my word for it, then listen to Chad."

Everyone gasped as Troy pointed to me. Yeah, not joking here. I didn't even see it coming. This was practically nerve-wrecking. I mean, Troy was calling me up for the pep talk? Well...ok. I mean it's not really my thing, but I had to make a good impression. Focus Chad, focus. "Uh...." Oh yeah, real nice focus. "Got milk?"

And then came the snickers. Snickers as in laughs, not the candy. But man those are good. They're Taylor's favorite, y'know. Hey, that's it! I'll just pretend I'm talking to Taylor.I've been a lot more calm around her lately. I can do this, I know I can!

"We're not just doing this for us, you know. This is for our school. Ok, we've shown that we're a team to be reckoned with or else we wouldn't be fighting for the big shiny trophy right now. We wouldn't be heretoday if we stunk. But we are. Because we're one team, one school." I told them strongly. "We're not just a school about hoops and stuff but everyone seems to think that. But that's not all we are. We're not the only team playing, dudes. There's a competition between brains going on right now. So this is a way to show them we got their backs. Think if every shot we made was a question they got right. And what if we missed a shot or the Knights got us losing a point? That's not gonna happen. We can do this. Everyone can do this."

I think that got throgh to them. So now that just left us with one thing to do. We had to show everyone we meant business and went all out. "What team?"

"Wildcats!" everyone cheered.

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"Wildcats!"

"Get'cha head in the game!"

We all cheered and most of the team rushed out, probably to finish prepping for the second half. Troy and I stayed behind with the coach. The coach even gave me a pat on the back. "Great speech, Danforth." he said. "Keep it up and maybe you'll co-captain with Troy next year."

Troy and I grinned and hit high fives. Coach walked out leaving just the two of us in here. "Ready for the second half?" Troy asked me.

"You go ahead. Gotta make a quick call." I replied.

"Alright. See ya in give." Troy replied before heading out.

It'd probably seem like more than five minutes after that.I was actually gonna call someone that I wanted to wish good I wanted to hear her reaction about the pep talk I gave. I mean, I guess I wouldn't be able to tell her the whole deal but I'd still like to share the good news. like how I gave her team that little shout-out. Bet Troy didn't think of that. Anyway I pulled out my phone and dialed Taylor's number. And I know you guys aren't surprised at that by now.I'd think of a real lie about why I'm calling her right now but I can't think of a decent one to use. And maybe I'm done lying.

"Hello?"

There was her voice after like the second ring. But it sounded good over the phone. "Hey Taylor." I said with a smile.

She almost sounded caught off guard or something. Hope I didn't call at a bad time. "Hi Chad..."

"I just wanted to see how your competition was going." I told her. Even if she wasn't right in front of me i was still trying to put on an award winning smile. I couldn't help it, it's who I am.

She sounded a lot more calmer now. Still cute. "We're doing pretty well. Just finishing the break right now. What about your basketball game?"

No way I was gonna tell her we were behind...even if it was temporary. But I decided to give her some so-so news with some great news. "We've done worse. We're practically coach and Troy even let me give a pep talk a few minutes ago." Yup, just put on the proud face. I knew she was gonna be impressed.

"Wow, that's amazing." she told me. Knew it. Now to really win her over.

"Yeah, I'll have to tell you about it after the game. I mean...if I see you after the game." I stammered. Boy I never thought I'd sound so I didn't sound too eager or too desperate or anything. No way did I wanna scare Taylor off now.

She didn't say anything right away. It kinda...it kinda freaked me out, dude. I mean, here I was trying to impress the girl and instead I was scaring her off and she'd never want anything to do with me again...or was I overreacting? Then she did speak, which I wasn't expecting. "Maybe we will see each other after the game."

I started chuckling. Yeah, I was laughing. But it wasn't at Taylor, it was at me. No joke, I was laughing at myself. I can't believe I actually let myself worry so easily. Boy if I weren't a supercool jock, I'd be a loser right now. And was she teasing me? Do you see why I like this girl? Is she something or is she something?

"Looking forward to it. Kick some butt, Tay...lor. Taylor." Man I can't believe I actually called her Tay! Or almost did, anyway. That'd really scare her. What kinda guy who's trying to start out with a girl gives her her own nickname? good thing I made a quick cover, but she's way too smart to believe me completely. It was over.

But she did talk again. I could tell from her tone that she was scared. Way to go Chad. "Thanks. You, too."

"Cool." I replied quickly. Or was that too quickly? I mean I was just relieved she didn't hang up on me.

"And Chad?" Taylor's voice brought me back to the planet.

"Yeah?"

"How did you get my number?" she asked, almost sounding suspicious. But as weird as this sounds I'm kinda surprised she didn't ask earlier. I couldn't help but chuckle some more. Then again I wasn't surprised at all she asked. I had to see it coming eventually. But there was no way I was gonna tell her that I bothered Troy and Gabriella in the middle of their rehearsal. Actually, I knew exactly when they'd be in rehearsal. I called Troy then, so he could get me talking to Gabriella and I could get Taylor's number.

"Let's just say I asked around."

I think she knew that I was teasing her, cause she decided to try and feed me the same thing...or at least something like that. "I'd do the same with you, but after your call that puts your number in the list of received calls." Did I mention she was good?

But now I had to leave her on a good note. I couldn't help but smirk, cause I knew how true she knew this was. "Then I gurssyou know where to reach me now. Talk to you later Taylor."

"See ya." she told me before she hung up.

Then I hung up my phone, too. I just stared at it for a minute and smiled. this was good. It was like we weren't biting each others' heads off but it wasn't exciting. We were having a normal everyday conversation. So good.

"Hey Chad!" I heard Troy calling from down the hall. "Get out here man! Game time!"

I'll be honest, I didn't even remember most of the second half. It was the last couple of minutes that were the real killers. We were rushing to get the ball on our side. I'm telling ya, all this happened so I know off the top of my head is that we were playing a huge game and it didn't change once. It was all going back and forth again. It was like score after score there was this big fight between us and West High. Those guys are a bunch of scumbags, if you ask me. I bet half those points they made were all from cheating. I barely even got a chance to grab the ball this time. It's a conspiracy. I hated it. How was I supposed to show off my skills if I couldn't grab the ball? No way I played enough during the first half.

when West High got their hands on the ball after getting it from their last basket, Troy hot his hands on the basketball right away. I sighed heavily. I was never gonna get another chance to get it, was I? There was eleven seconds left and Troy sped across the gym. I chased after them and I was wide open. But instead of him passing the ball to me, he passed it to Zeke! That felt so degrading. I mean, sure maybe Zeke was more open than me, but I couldn't caught the ball easily. And even more, Troy was almost blocked completely when he passed the basketball. Focus Chad. The objective is to win the game!

Zeke was rushing all around West looking for an opening. Almost everyone of them was finding some way to block him or stopping him from going forward. I don't know why, but he passed it back to Troy. He was on the three point line so we could've won right there and then. Guess Zeke didn't wanna take any chances or something and we were only down by one point. That's ok though, cause with Troy holding the ball we were gonna win. I wouldn't loved to have the ball passed to me at the last second and score the winning basket but nothing like that happened. Troy kept his hands on the ball and guess what, he scored the winning basket.

The whole gym went completely wild. everyone was rushing outta the bleachers to congratulate us. The final score was 68 to 67, that's how big it was. The Coach was just happy too, he was trying to rush into the crowd with the trophy to thank us. The cheerleaders flocked us and cheered, even trying to get some of us to make a move on them. Predictable. Coach gave Troy the trophy and we lifted him right up.

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"Wildcats!"

"Get'cha head in the game!"

We put Troy down and the entire gym went into chaos. I was trying to push my way through the crowd. OkI didn't see Taylor yet so her thing must still be going on. I found the game ball and picked it up. The game ball. Wow...so this is what it felt like to hold it. It felt really good. Like magic, almost. But this ball didn't belong to me. I knew when I deserved something and I didn't deserve this. I ran back over to Troy who was about to plant a big ol' smooch on Gabriella. Oh well, they can kiss later. Besides, what's the fun of having a brother when I can't annoy him for no reason?

"hey cap'n! Here's your game ball." I grinned disrupting the kiss and shoving it into Troy's hands.

"Yeah, thanks man. Thanks a lot." he replied.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. Then I saw Taylor rushing in. Yes, this was my chance! Time to sweep the little lady off her feet. As soon as she ran over to me I wrapped my arm around her and spun her so she could face me. I could feel her grabbing onto my shirt. So hot.

"So, you're coming with me to the after party right?"

Taylor's eyes widened so much. It's like she couldn't believe what was happening. Yeah, I asked her out. And it felt good. I mean, there was no way she could reject me...right? "Like on a date?" she gasped.

I nodded. I think that was a yes! "Well it much be your lucky day." I said with a smile.

I watched her run off, probably to go and tell her friends. I don't blame her, I mean it is pretty exciting news. But I didn't care if she was keeping it a secret or bragging about it to anyone. Cause I had a date with Taylor tonight. That's right, lemme sing it for you. I got a date with Taylor, Taylor. I got a date with Taylor...and I'm acting like a total idiot over it aren't I? Boy that's embarrassing. Gotta keep my cool now, I need it more than anything. I gotta make this the best night of her life. Bring on the happiness!

Hey here comes even more happiness! Five minutes later everyone was cheering and breaking into dance and song...it was pure excitement and anarchy...I think I learned that word from English class. Think it'll impress Taylor? I hope so. I even got to dance with the girl. I had some killer dance moves, so I had to give her a sneak peak at what she was in for tonight. It was awesome, and she's a pretty sick dancer too. Pure awesomeness.

Eh, we'll skip over the dancing part.I'm sure there's a home video or DVD you guys can watch it on or something. Moving on to the what is it, post pep rally? The thing that comes after it, not before? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. So Taylor and I were practically dancing out of the gym. I know we were both having a good time cause we were smiling and laughing. "That was totally awesome in there." I told her. Yeah I was probably stating the obvious, but who cares?At least I don't sound totally stupid.

"I still can't believe you guys won." she replied.

Now I know she was all teasing about there. C'mon was there ever any doubt that we wouldn't win? "Oh yeah, you should've seen us out there kicking butt and taking names." I said. "We covered a lot of fouls and made a lot of shots from the three point lines and heck, there was even a time where we made a shot from center court. That's like one of the most impossible shots to make. The cheerleaders were all, 'rebound that basketball, rebound' but we dn't always need to listen to them. I think we were able to win the game without their help. We rebounded when we needed to. Like that one time where we thought West High was gonna make the shot but instead we were able to get it out of their hands and totally switch things around. A lot of crazy stuff went down out was making a lot of those foul shots, though, but he made them in easily. One guy had it in for me cause he kept trying to knock me out with the basketball or trying to make me travel with it. And you know how it is, we can't travel with a ball. We can only hold it for three seconds and then dribble the ball or pass it, but that guy made it almost impossible to do anything. I got around him though. I would've liked to pull a Michael Jordan and make a slam dunk at some point, but it was too hectic out there to get anything good. We had to focus on the game, not on looking fancy."

I looked at Taylor after all my talking. I could tell she was interested but she had this completely lost look on her face. It's like she knew nothing what I was talking about. I couldn't help it, I just had to start laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked raising an eyebrow at me. Oh yeah, I was probably gonna get it for that.

"Well as much as I'd get a kick out of saying 'I should've known you wouldn't know much about basketball' I know that would get me a one-way trip to the moon" I told her. I'm not joking, I know she could easily send me to the moon. Build a little rocket ship, attach me to it, then pow, I'm off to the moon in like the lowest class flight out there. ""But I'm the idiot one for babbling on and on."

"No, you're not an idiot." Taylor replied. Really, I'm not? Not like I'd really say that though. "And I appreciate you not saying what you wanted to and you knew you were smart enough not to say it."

I laughed again. This girl cracked me up. I loved it. Look, I even got her smiling over it. I'm a comic genius. "What can I say? i like a girl who's not afraid to tell it like it is."

"I don't think I could have ever imagined." she said stopping at her locker.

"Well there is plenty you don't know about me. And I'm sure there's plenty more to know about you." I replied leaning up against the locker next to hers. I kept my eyes on Taylor just waiting to see all her reactions. And you know when I flirt I gotta bring my best game out there.

"I sense you're going somewhere with this." Taylor guessed.

"All the more reason for us to go out on a date." I shrugged my shoulders. We didn't even know that much about each other but it already seemed like she knew me so well.

So then Taylor turned and looked at me. I know she was smiling...I could see a big one on her face. But I didn't get it, what was it with the quietness? Was she trying to throw me off? Did I say something stupid now? Did I smell that bad? "So about that date...I assume it was a yes?" I decided to take a chance asking. Ok I was a little on the uneasy side. There was still a chance she could turn me down. A slim chance, but still a chance. I was trying not to act nervous though. Had to be smooth. Relaxed. Calm. Cool. Collected. My usual cool-haired, laid-back, gofy self. Wait, did any of that even come out right?

"I guess it really is my lucky day." she said with a smile.

I hear a bell in my head! Victory! If Taylor wasn't watching me right now I'd probably doing the stupidest happy dance anyone ever saw. I'd be all shaking my hips, jiggling my butt a little, pretending I'm rocking out with guitar in my underwear.... Oh c'mon! When am I ever gonna learn to shut up! I talk in my head and I'm still embrrassing myself. Is there a puppet master out there trying to control me that loves seeing me suffer? I had to recover...fast!

I gave her my biggest smile, still trying to sound all cool. "I'll...I'll come by your house at seven."

"It's a date." she replied with the same smile. "See you tonight Chad."

I watched as she walked away. Ok this has to be some kinda corny cheesy romancey chick flick. We won the game, I got the girl...what could possibly go wrong?

"Nice work Chad. Didn't think you'd go through with it."

I snapped out of my daydream. Wait a minute...that voice sounded familiar. I knew that voice. I turned around and saw Ami Jones there. How long had she been standing there watching? I turned around fast to make sure Taylor wasn't there anymore. Good, cause I didn't want her getting the wrong idea if she saw this. I turned to Ami again. This chick confused the heck out of me. "What are you talking about?"

"you're not a bad actor either. Don't really think you forgot." she told me.

I shook my head. "No really. I have no idea what you're talking about."

She smirked and circled me. I thought she was taking Jason...I mean Jason was taking her to the after party if we won. No way this curly-haired red-headed rival could be hitting on me. "I almost thought you'd back out on it or that you would need a reminder." she continued. "But really Chad, I'm not that dumb. You put on quite a show."

"Is there a hidden camera here somewhere?" I asked her. "I'm not the guy who wants to meet Ashton Kutcher."

"You're so cute when you act clueless." Ami giggled. Boy she snorted when she laughed! "I'm talking about taking that McKessie girl to the after party. Remember? When Danielle and I caught you and your posse heading to the science area that day and we threatened to tell everyone about it?"

"Yeah, about that..." I pointed at her, "...your friend needs to come up with better threats."

"Well aware." Ami shrugged. "But that was the day I told you to take McKessie Nerd Girl to the after party. and you agreed to it. Looks like you're off the science lover's hook."

My mouth dropped. Oh man...not that threat..bet...whatever it was! "But about that...I didn't...."

"you are so bad, Danforth. Can't wait to see you totally ditch her at the party tonight. I'll tell the cheerleader squad to take pictures. It's going to be an after party we'll all remember."

I didn't even notice her wlak away. Oh snap...I was told to take Taylor to the after party. I originally wasn't supposed to mean it when I asked her. This wasn't supposed to be how it was! If Taylor finds out about this...I'm screwed. Screwed beyond all belief. Oh cranberry butterscotch.... What am I gonna do now?

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Sorry this took so long. I was going to work on it yesterday but that's when Fanfiction was down and we couldn't log in. Of course that happens when I'm ready to put up a chapter of this story, because the last time that happened which I think was three or four days in a row, it cut me off from this story for a while. Not exactly fun. And as for titling this chapter "Curtain Call" I thought it'd be interesting cause technically it's the last scene in the movie and if memory serves from the pop-up edition, a curtain call is when all the characters make their final appearance or take their bows or something like that. Hope that all makes sense. XD So I hope you guys have enjoyed this story and...not hated it. lol But then there's just on unanswered question: is there one more chapter? =O You'll find out soon enough!And do not forget to check my profile for a poll I put up, it asks you guys what story I should start working on next, and by the time I start my school year I would very much like to be working on the first chapter of whatever story you guys choose. C=


	16. The AfterParty

Ok so I know I only got probably one review from the last chapter. XD No big deal, I just hope you guys out there are still keeping in touch with this story and enjoying it. And for all you guys reading my other stories I'm attempting to get past some writer's block for A Week at Lava Springs right now so please be patient with that, if it's not too much trouble to ask. And as for Beauty and the Beast HSM Style I'm very much updating it however the story is about to get to the part where I have to pretty much just drift away from writing the actual scene HSMified and start changing said scene to fit the plot. So moving on to this story we are now officially on the last chapter. In this final, very long chapter, you will see a side to Chad and Taylor that you may or may not have expected to see. You guys have no idea how long I've been working on this so I really hope this final chapter comes out well. Now I have to say this about the story, there are probably like five different other ways it could have gone. lol But just that I was able to write something you guys like and pretty much made it entertaining at points made it all worth it. So now I would like to say thank you to everyone for reviewing and thank you for making it fun to write another story. ^^ Ok, now to say thanks to the actual reviewers: Digigirl02, Xo-kween-dilemma-xo, Iheartchad andtaylor, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, RamandusDaughter23, Let'sJustSing, Chayler lover, RockyShadow, Lilmissmonique, Chaylor lover, HSMroks, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, HSM lover, HSM, Sharpy, and Mzwendy85. Thank you one and all!  
I do not own anything.

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**Chapter Sixteen: The After-Party**

It's funny how the entire school can make such a big deal about something and you spend the majority of your time wondering what the big deal is or how everyone can just go with the flow. I never thought highly of athletes to begin with so therefore I never thought winning something as big as the championships would be that big of a deal. So what if our school happened to beat another school at something like basketball? The world of a high school student isn't all based on sports. A majority of it, one would think, has to be centered around academics and grades. But those of us who do focus more on academics than anything else is where we are the least appreciated. We're often labeled as geeks, nerds, etc. In reality, geeks and nerds are just the same and I always believed that there was a little bit of a geek in all of us. That is, until I had originally met Chad. He was so spoiled, arrogant, cocky...need I go on? He was one of the reasons I swore off boys. The dating world never appealed to me before, and Chad gave me more of a reason not to pay attention to it. I always assumed he was the kind of guy who would just use a girl or flirt with one girl and ask her out when he was going out with another girl. So never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined getting ready for the after-party with my date as Chad Danforth.

Now I'm no girlie girl, but I do like to look good when I leave the house, and my absolute best on special occasions. Considering that this is my first date I'd say it's a special enough reason to look my best. i was constantly looking over my apparel to make sure everything was perfect. My red low heels matched my red dress, my only accessories consisted of a couple of bracelets on one of my wrists, my makeup was minimal...maybe more makeup would have been better.... No, I wasn't going to cover myself with lipstick and eyeliner and look like someone I'm not. Remember girls, you do not need an overdose of makeup to look beautiful. But I'll be honest, I don't think all the makeup in the world could make me look my best. This was uncharted territory for me, going on a date. Ok, now for my hair. I didn't exactly go to the salon to get it done, and I swear that if my older sister had it her way and i actually told her about tonight then she'd be on the next plane here to help me look absolutely perfect. But I wasn't going to let that happen. I've seen her help me with my hair when I was younger enough to know what she would consider to be the perfect style. It was combed and washed, and a small portion of my hair was up kind of like in a half ponytail, and for once I didn't have a headband in it. Maybe I should put in a barrette or wear a necklace or something....

"Taylor your date is here."

I groaned and turned to my very giddy mother who was now in my doorway. "It's just Chad, mom. The guy who's head I bite off every day and vise versa." I said as if it were no big deal which was the very opposite.

And as usual, my mother refused to listen. "I can't believe it baby, it's your first date!" she exclaimed. "Oh I so wish your father could see this."

"It's fine, mom." I tried telling her.

"You know, even when you were having that little slap fight during fifth grade graduation I said to him, 'Jermaine that daughter of yours is going to make a very good match with that Danforth boy so don't even try to stop nature from doing that'." she continued.

Oh how I hated those embarrassing child stories...even when she wasn't telling anyone. "Mother can I go?"

"You mean you're actually ready?" my mom gasped. "I thought you'd be up here for hours getting ready for this date."

I shook my head and tried to stop myself from blowing up. "Mother if you want me to stay in here longer than five minutes and change everything I did...."

"Don't be ridiculous, baby, you are going down to that nice young man and you are both going to that after-party and having the time of your lives." mother said, literally pushing me down the stairs. "Oh Chad, Chad honey!" she called. Please can she just shut up? I love my mother dearly but sometimes she just takes things too far. But when I saw Chad standing there...so patiently, I must add...in my living room I was on the verge of begging my mother to take me back up to my room. Chad didn't look like Chad. I mean he did but his style.... Alright, Chad Danforth is often a messy-ish dresser. His shirts don't always match his pants and they say the wackiest things on them. I highly doubt that even his socks match a lot of the time. And even though I'd like to think he combs his hair on a daily basis and watches it every other night, it almost never looked combed. Tonight...that wasn't Chad. His shirt didn't have any kind of sayings on them but instead was just simple bulgy blue stripes of different shades. You know like sky blue, an off shade blue, periwinkle, perhaps some kind of aquamarine...yes, I'm getting off track. His jeans weren't jeans but just plain nice pants which looked like an eggshell shade as well as his jacket which looked just as nice, almost like it could be part of his suit. And his hair...a little on the floppy side but most definitely combed. And yes, both of his shoes matched. There was no way I could have looked as good as he did right now.

"wow Taylor..." he gasped. His eyes were so wide I almost thought they were going to pop out of his head if it were possible. It's like he couldn't believe what he was saying. Something had to be wrong.

"I could always go change if this isn't good enough..." I started, already making assumptions, and I could feel my mom pinching me in the back for even thinking about making that comment.

"No, no. Not at all." Chad said quickly shaking his head. "It's just that...wow Taylor..."

I almost felt myself melt into the ground and I have no idea why. "I'm fairly certain you already said that."

"I know. It's just that.... You look really amazing." he said.

Is that what he was trying to say? Now I know why I was ready to melt. Someone turn down the heat! "Thank look pretty wow yourself."

Chad chuckled. I really hope he knew that came from the two wow's he had given me. "Thanks."

"Alright, photo up. First date you know." mom said eagerly as she rushed to get the camera.

Now my face was red from embarrassment. Mother, not in front of Chad! "We really should be going...."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind." Chad said quickly.

When did he become so...tolerant? I certainly wish I knew. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"He's sure, he's sure." mom said coming back into the living room with the camera before Chad could even answer. "Come on you two, don't be shy. Scooch together."

I gulped and walked over to Chad. We stood probably a foot away from each other. I don't know why he was, but I was doing it from pure nervousness. Mother didn't seem to pleased by this.

"Alright, you both can do better than that." she scolded. Then she actually walked over to us to set us up for 'the perfect picture'. When did my sudden birth of a love life become a photo shop for her? "Alright Chad you move over here...." she said moving him closer to me...on my other side I might add. She placed his arms so they would look like they were folded but then laced his fingers together for him. Then she turned his head to face me. Are all first dates supposed to start this awkward? Oh wait, she wasn't done yet. My mom then took me and put my arm through one of Chad's and then laced my fingers together that way. Of course, then she had to turn my head so I was facing Chad. No, she didn't stop there. She actually instructed me to bend one of my knees slightly so it almost look like it was crossed with my other leg. I honestly hope that's the last of it.

Thank God it was. Mom went back to pick up her camera and turned it on. "Oh come on, at least try to look at each other a little. Don't put all your attention on the camera." she urged.

I gulped. Guess she wasn't done dictating our every action yet. I turned my head slightly towards Chad and he was already facing me. How can he stand this? Didn't I ask someone to turn the heat down in here?

"Perfect!" Mom exclaimed. "Now just give smiles. Come on, smile for each other. And the camera."

I saw Chad smile widely but I just couldn't bring myself to do that with all of this going on. This made me feel like a total...well, girl.

"Taylor Anabelle McKessie..." my mom scolded.

Oh she saw I wasn't giving my best smile. Yes, she used the middle name over that. I hated when she did that. Ok Taylor, just smile and you can get out of here. I did just that and as soon as I gave a satisfying enough smile my mom snapped the picture. "Can we go now please?" I asked when she was finished. "We're going to be late for the after-party."

"Oh alright," she gave in, "go and have yourselves a good time. But not too good ok?"

Please, I'm not that kind of girl. "Understood mother." I nodded. "I'll be back by ten."

"Oh what the heck, make it eleven tonight." my mother giggled.

Wait...she's extending my curfew by an hour? Who is she and what did she do with my real mother?

"Thank you, Ms. McKessie." Chad said before I could open my big mouth. "I'll have her back on time." Then he led me out of my house. That was generous of him, we made it out in one piece. Wait a minute...I'm completely alone with Chad now. Should I be afraid?

"I'm sorry about my mother." I nearly stammered once we were off my lawn. "She can get a little...eccentric."

Chad smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. She's nice."

"She...also happens to be excited that it's my first date." I confessed even though I didn't want Chad to know.

"You too, huh?" Chad asked.

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." he looked away then back at me. Where was he going with this? "...it's sorta kinda my first date, too."

I shook my head. "I don't understand. Haven't you been...?"

"No. I've never been on a date." he told me. "I just never found someone I was really into enough to ask them out."

I moved a loose strand of hair behind me ear. Better than biting my nails at least. How I made it this entire day without doing that, I don't think I'll ever figure it out. "So...are you as nervous as I am?"

He nodded. "A little bit, yeah." Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. It was on a thin gold chain and had a big heart on it. What was he doing with that? "I um...sorta got this for you."

I picked up my head from the necklace and looked at him. "What?"

Chad sighed. He really did look as nervous as I did. "I know I can't make up for all those years of torture I gave you. But I am sorry and I really hope that this can be a start to you forgiving me."

Did he really think that? I can't even describe how I was feeling just hearing those two sentences. It sounded so sweet. I smiled warmly at him. "I do forgive you, Chad. You don't need a piece of jewelry to apologize to me or make me forgive you."

That actually made his face fall. What did I say? "I guess you don't want it then..." he said.

"I never said that." I said quickly. I quickly covered my mouth. I did not mean to sound selfish with that. I looked at Chad and he chuckled. I guess he found it entertaining.

"I thought you'd like it." he replied.

I smiled and ran my hand through my hair to stop myself from biting my nails...again. "Can you help me put it on?"

"Of course." Chad said with a smile. He stood behind me and I moved my hair out of the way. He slipped the necklace on me, then stood to face me. "It looks really good on you."

"Thanks." I said putting my hand over the necklace. I really did like it. I look back at Chad and he was holding his arm out to me like he was waiting for me to put my arm through it and hold on to it. Was he actually going to escort me there? That is so not Chad.

"Ready to go?" he asked still smiling.

"Yeah." I nodded. I slowly took his arm and held onto it and he started walking me to the school. The walk there was pretty quiet, I suppose. I would have said something but I wouldn't know what to say. I bet I looked like an idiot just keeping to myself. Some night this is turning out to be. When we walked to school together we were talking just fine. But now....

"So um...."

I turned to Chad when I heard him speak.

"How did the Decathlon go today?" he asked. "I mean I know you won but..."

"You never seemed interested in that sort of thing. Do you really want to hear it in full detail?" I wondered.

"Well I told you about the game pretty much in full detail." he replied.

That was true. "Well I wish I could say we had some sort of secret weapon but we really didn't." I admitted. "I'm surprised I was able to focus on the competition with Timothy constantly trying to make a move on me."

"Taylor is that guy bugging you?" Chad asked.

"It's no big deal." I shook my head. "I'm sure he won't be around tonight."

"Well if he's bothering you I could always..." Chad started.

"No, nothing is necessary." I shook my head again. "I think he got the hint today."

"Well if that guy steps over the line again then let me know." he told me.

I nodded. "Thanks Chad." We talked about the Decathlon a little more and he actually seemed to be in it. I always thought Chad would fall asleep at the mere mentioning of it. If he was just doing this to impress me...it was actually sort of working. Once we got to the school we followed everyone towards the gym. I guess that's where the after-party was being held, but I overheard some people saying that the cafeteria was opened as well. Maybe I'll just stick with Chad here because if Gabriella is here with Troy, they are most likely going to be spending a lot of time together.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Chad asked when we got into the gym.

I looked over at him. "Just some water, if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not." he said with a smile. "Be right back."

As he left I heard someone calling. "Taylor!"

I turned and saw Gabriella running over to me. "Hey Gabs!" I said with a smile.

She ran over and gave me a big hug. "Oh my God, you look so nice tonight!"

I giggled and hugged her back. "Just be glad you weren't at my house while I was getting ready. My mother went crazy with the pictures."

"Before or after Chad came over?" Gabriella asked.

"After. She was practically forcing me down the stairs to meet him." I admitted.

"But it wasn't too bad right?" she wondered.

"I guess not. Chad didn't seem to mind." I replied.

"He's a good guy, Taylor. I really think you guys would make a good couple." Gabriella urged.

"Gabs this is only my first date. I don't want to rush into anything." I told her.

"Mine, too." she said. Her eyes lit up and she picked up my necklace. "Taylor this is beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

"Chad gave it to me as an apology for all our fighting over the years." I answered. I saw Gabriella smiling widely and pointing to me like she was about to say something...or rub something in my face. "Don't say anything Gabriella."

She sighed and gave in rather easily. "Well it's still a nice thought."

"I know." I nodded. "So where's Troy?"

"He's talking to his dad about something." she replied, pointing to Troy and his father the Coach discussing something near the DJ.

"Must be something important. Either that or he's trying to give last minute girl advice." I guessed.

Gabriella giggled. She tilted her head. "Oh, hey Chad."

I turned my head and saw Chad now standing next to me.

"Gabriella you ruined my sneaking up plan." he whined playfully.

She giggled again. "Sorry."

Chad smiled and rolled his eyes. He turned to me and gave me a bottle of water. He had a can of soda for himself in his other hand. "Here you go."

"Thank you." I replied taking the bottle.

"I'll just leave you two alone." Gabriella said with a sly smile before leaving.

"Have fun making out with Troy!" Chad called after her teasingly.

I covered my mouth to try and not to laugh, especially after just taking a sip of water.

Chad turned to me and chuckled. "There is no way they're gonna get even one kiss in tonight."

"you interrupted something before didn't you?" I assumed.

"Just once." he admitted. He opened up his can. "But they had it coming. And what kind of friend would I be if I let them kiss so easily?"

I giggled. He made it sound so innocent. I liked it. "You so don't want to see your best friend happy." I teased.

"Hey what's right is right." he shrugged his shoulders before taking a sip of his soda.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. I looked around the gym and saw a lot of people were dancing to the music that was playing. "So do you want to dance?" I wondered.

"I don't dance." he told me.

"Oh..." I said. One of the things I was hoping to do was dance tonight.

Chad looked at me and I guess he saw the disappointed look on my face. "Maybe one dance later?"

I smiled and nodded. "I'd really like that." One dance was better than no dance.

Chad returned the smile. "Let's go find the guys. I wanna show you off to them."

I raised an eyebrow at him and put my free hand on my hip. "Do you know how degrading to women that is?"

"But you look so much prettier than everyone else's dates. I wanna rub it in their faces." Chad complained playfully. "Well except for Troy. He can barely take his eyes off Gabriella."

Well he did have a point. "I suppose I can put my opinions on equality for all aside just for ten minutes."

"I'll take that as a good thing." Chad smiled as he led me to some of the other basketball players. The only ones we ran into at the moment were Zeke and Jason. Zeke was on his own and Jason had the red-headed cheerleader Ami by his side...and didn't look too thrilled. Then again, Zeke didn't look to happy either. He seemed really down about something. "Hey guys." Chad told them.

"Hey man." Zeke said right away. "Have you seen Sharpay anywhere?"

"No..." Chad said slowly. "Why did you wanna take that Ice Princess?"

"She said she'd go with me but I can't find her anywhere." Zeke replied.

"Maybe she's just fashionably late. You know how Sharpay is." I stated, trying to lift his spirits a little.

"I guess so." he replied.

Chad smiled and slipped his arm around me. I guess he was glad I was off to a good start with one of his friends. That was good. I wanted to be able to fit in with Chad's friends. But just being who I was. It seemed to be working with someone. But for some reason Ami didn't seem to thrilled about that.

"So I see you really went through with taking this nerd tonight."

I looked at Ami and raised an eyebrow. I wanted to ask her what was going on, but Chad beat me to it. "And I see you convinced Jason to take you."

"Oh it wasn't all that hard. It was part of the deal." Ami said innocently.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Chad. "What deal?"

"Nothing." Chad said quickly.

Ami covered her mouth to try not to giggle. "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I asked Ami.

"Nothing. There's nothing going on." Chad tried saying.

"Oh don't play all innocent Chad. I mean you did have to stop us from telling the whole school you, Zeke, and Jay-Jay were on your way to the science department." Ami said innocently.

"Jay-Jay?" Chad repeated, missing the entire point.

"My petname." Jason muttered, not seeming to happy about it at all. "Ami's idea."

I shook my head. What the heck...? "Wait what is going on?"

"Danielle and I saw Chad and his little group going to the chemistry lab. If the entire school found out it would ruin their sporty reputations. So we made a little deal with them. If they do what we say then we wouldn't tell anyone they're actually big nerds like you." Ami shrugged. "I told Jason he had to take me to the dance and that Chad had to-"

"Ami don't." Chad warned, interrupting her.

I looked at Chad, then back at Ami who had a smirk on her face. Something was telling me I wasn't going to like where this was going.

"That Chad had to take your little nerdy butt to this after-party. And he agreed." Ami finished. "Guess he cares more about what other people think of him than some dorky little nerd crush on him."

My mouth dropped. Not only did she know I liked Chad...but she's the reason that Chad asked me tonight! He didn't want to go out with me. He was forced to. I couldn't believe it. How could he...? I looked at Chad hurt, then let go of his arm and stormed out of the gym. I didn't even want to talk to him.

"Taylor wait!" Chad called following me.

Couldn't he take a hint? I wouldn't want anything to do with him after this. "Don't you dare talk to me." I warned him, turning to face him. I was trying really hard to keep a straight, angry face even though anger was one one of the feelings I had towards him right now.

"Tay I can explain..." he started.

"Don't 'Tay' me!" I snapped. "Don't even try to pull some petname now. How could you do that?"

"Taylor just listen please." he practically begged. "When I asked you out it wasn't because of what Ami said."

"Right, I'm sure you really wanted to go with me." I said sarcastically, not believing him at all.

"That's it exactly!" Chad exclaimed.

"Wrong answer." I shook my head. "Stop lying to me. I'm done with you."

"It's not a lie. Taylor I really like you. A lot." Chad said.

I shook my head. It was getting really hard to keep everything bottled up now. "Stop. Just stop." I insisted, my voice on the verge of cracking. "You know what, you go ask the girl you really like to be with you tonight. I don't want anything to do with you. Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't even think about me. And I'm sure that's all you want."

"No that's not what I want. I wanted to be here with you tonight. I didn't wanna ask anyone else." he insisted.

I can't believe he was still trying to feed me these lies. I couldn't take it anymore. I spilled my entire water bottle on him. That's how furious i was. "Just get out of my life Chad. I mean it this time." And to prove I was serious, I ripped the necklace he gave me off and threw it at him. I turned on my heel and stormed off. I wasn't even sure where to go now. I was angry. I was outraged. I was hurt. I was furious. And I was upset. So I did the only thing I could think of. I ran into the nearest girls bathroom and just leaned up against the wall. I wrapped my arms around myself and slid down, then buried my head in my knees. I couldn't take it. I just broke down. And that's something I hardly ever do. I never cry unless there's a good reason to. I would say this was reason enough. The guy that I had crushed on for a long time...he just used me. He never had any feelings for me. I was just some nerd to him. He didn't care. Everything had been a lie. Everything we had in common, the way we got along...I bet even the speech he gave to the basketball team was a lie. I can't believe I actually liked him. Chad will never change. He's the exact same lunkhead basketball boy he's always been. I was better off with Timothy, I should have said yes to his stupid stalker date. He's not the Neanderthal, Chad is. and he's always going to be. My lucky day, he says, I had a date with him tonight. Wrong, wrong, wrong! It was his stupid attitude. Oh and what a good act he was putting on, actually trying to go after me. Some first date.

"What are you doing sitting in here bawling your eyes out?"

I looked up and saw Sharpay coming out of one of the bathroom stalls. I quickly wiped my eyes trying not to show her I was crying, even though she knew pretty well now. No one wanted Sharpay Evans to see them crying in the bathroom. "Nothing." I said quickly.

"Still looks like something to me. Your mascara's running." she replied.

I shook my head. I didn't care. "what do you want?"

Sharpay walked over to one of the mirrors and fixed her hair a little. "I thought you'd be out there partying for sure. You seemed to be having the time of your life in the gym this afternoon. You were dancing with Danforth like you wanted nothing more."

"That's none of your business." I said still trying to get myself together.

Sharpay didn't seem to get the message. "So why are you in here?"

"Why do you care?" I questioned.

"Hey, you're not the only one hiding in here." she replied.

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Sharpay placed a hand on her hip and turned to me, but she didn't seem completely annoyed like she did when she saw Gabriella with Troy instead of her with Troy. "If you tell me why you're in here, I'll tell you why I'm here. No tricks."

While the Ice Queen of East High was the last person I wanted to spill my feelings to, something told me I couldn't keep them inside for much longer. And it's not like I had anyone else to open up to. I sighed and stood up, walking over to the mirror and tried cleaning my face. "Chad was pretty much dared to ask me out. He never wanted to go with me. The cheerleader who dared him said it right in my face and Chad kept trying to convince me that it wasn't the reason he asked me out. Now I know not to trust guys ever again."

"Don't be so dramatic. That's my job." she said simply turning back to face her reflection.

"so why are you in here?" i asked as I wiped my eyes with a paper towel.

She sighed. "Zeke's the guy who asked me to go to the after-party, not Troy. And Troy's the guy that I've been wanting to date since seventh grade and he just won't look at me twice. Zeke's a nice guy and a great cook but he's just the last guy I would have ever pictured myself going on a date with. Or, one of the last guys anyway."

"You two seemed to hit it off. The second you took a bite out of his cookie you were over the moon." I recalled from that afternoon.

"Zeke's no Troy, let's face it." Sharpay shook her head. "What you see in afro-headed Danforth, I'll never know."

"i'll never know either." I admitted. "He totally played with my feelings."

"I've seen the looks he's sent you. That doesn't sound like him." Sharpay replied.

"What are you talking about?" I shook my head not wanting to believe it. I mean, I guess I did want to believe it, but judging from certain circumstances I didn't have much of a good reason to believe it.

"You mean you never noticed?" she raised an eyebrow. "I've seen him drool over you since elementary school."

"There's no decent reason for me to believe you. You're the Ice Princess, Sharpay. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You threatened Troy's and Gabriella's place in the musical. You intimidate girls on a daily basis. You nearly tried kicking Gabriella out of the picture." I replied.

"Gabriella has something that I want and I hold it against her." she said simply. "But while you and I don't get along for beans I don't have anything against you. I'm not totally evil."

"No offense but I have a hard time believing that." I said going for a fresh paper towel.

"Understood." she shrugged. Really, this is a side to Sharpay I never expected to see. "Let me ask you this, McKessie. What do you think of Zeke?"

"Unlike certain lunkheads, he seems like a decent guy." I answered. "I saw him in the gym earlier and he was asking about you. He seemed really worried. Did you stand him up?"

"Not exactly a golden highlight on the Best of Sharpay Evans list." she admitted.

"Honestly, I can't think of many things that are highlighted on your best list." I stated.

"Well, then it looks like I'll have to put at least one thing on that list." Sharpay said confidently. "What would you say to a deal? You give me a diamond and I'll give you one."

I looked at Sharpay and quirked an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll give Ryan a call and see if he can get Danforth to spill to him what happened if you make sure no other girls are all over Zeke and bring him to me."

"It's a temporary truce isn't it?" I assumed.

"Yeah." Sharpay nodded. "We go back to hating each other as soon as the first bell rings Monday morning."

I guess it wouldn't hurt to go along with Sharpay for just one night. "Deal." I gave in.

"Good. Now keep cleaning, you missed a spot." she ordered as she dialed her phone.

I rolled my eyes and continued cleaning my face. Yeah, knew that was coming sooner or later. As I continued washing my face I heard Sharpay talk to Ryan. The instant she hung up about three minutes later, she pointed to me and told me all the details. "Ryan's talking to Danforth in the cafeteria. you've got exactly seven minutes to listen in on their conversation, then as soon as those seven minutes are up you go take care of Zeke."

"Those seven minutes start as soon as I'm within earshot of them." I folded my arms.

"Those seven minutes start now." she said sternly.

"Then you give me seven minutes to take care of Zeke when I'm done and my seven minutes commence as soon as I walk out of this room." I replied not giving in.

"Fine, but I'm timing you and calling as soon as your seven minutes are up so you take care of Zeke." she put her hands on her hips.

"Deal." I agreed before leaving the restroom. Now I could tell you what I heard Chad and Ryan talking about. But honestly, and I know this sounds selfish of me, I don't want to talk about it. Hearing what they said hurt enough, especially with the way I acted and misjudged everything. It's enough guilt for me right now. So i knew I had to fix things.I just hope that Chad doesn't leave yet, because then I may never get a chance to work this out. so first thing's first, I have to hold up my end of the bargain. I managed to leave the cafeteria moments before Sharpay called, so thankfully Chad and Ryan didn't hear my cell phone and figure out I was eavesdropping. She told me where to lead Zeke to and I must say, I was shocked. It wasn't anywhere near the gym. But who was I to argue with a temporary truce? I headed back to the gym and saw Zeke talking to Martha. Luckily I knew Martha didn't have a thing for Zeke, so Sharpay had nothing to worry about.

"Hey Martha, can I steal Zeke? I have to talk to him." I said walking over to them.

"sure thing Taylor." Martha replied.

"Later Martha." Zeke said as he and I walked out into the hallway. "so what's up?" he asked me.

"Are you still worried about Sharpay or has another girl in there captured your interest?" I wondered casually.

"Please, no one will ever appeal to me like Sharpay." he replied.

"That's good to know. Because I happened to see her before." I said.

"Really?" Zeke's face lit up.

"Yeah. She's waiting for you. And I'm sure she'll be thrilled to know you don't want to see anyone." I replied.

"where is she?" he asked eagerly.

"Follow me." I said with a smile. I led him over towards the home economics room and while he walked inside I just stayed by the doorway to listen in how things were going. But when I took a peak in there, you won't believe this, I actually saw Sharpay trying to bake!

"Hi Zeke." she said sweetly looking up at him. "I loved your cookies so much I was trying to crack the recipe."

"You really liked them?" he asked happily.

"Of course I did silly." she shrugged.

Zeke rubbed the back of his head before walking towards her. "It's just that...you like Troy. And you've been avoiding me all night. You never seemed interested."

"Troy's not the only fish in the sea. And I'm willing to try other guys. And other than you, I don't happen to like other guys." Sharpay told him.

"Really?" Zeke exclaimed. "So I have a chance?"

"If you get over here and help me bake without getting my dress dirty then you've got the best chance you could ever hope for." she laughed.

"I'm on it!" Zeke agreed more than happily before running over to help.

I smiled and turned away from the door. Things seemed to be working well for Sharpay and Zeke. I guess the Ice Princess does have a heart. It looks like it's going to be a happy ending for their evening. Now I just have hope that mine will turn out the same way. I took a deep breath and headed down the hallway. I hadn't spotted Chad yet so I really hoped he hadn't left. The only other thing that would be worse if he did leave was if he had found another girl and hooked up with her. And I really wanted this to work out. I had to at least apologize. I went into the closet in the hallway where he had dragged me into that one day and...well, that was when I thought it would be us confessing our feelings for each other like some sappy romantic chick flick. I sat down on the floor in there and waited for a while. I listened for footsteps but I barely heard any. Well, I heard a few...but it was just from the janitor. And every time I peaked outside the halls were deserted. I decided to give up and just walk out. I guess he really did leave. So much for this working out. I suppose we just weren't meant to be.

I walked out of the East High entrence and ironically, sitting at the fountain in front of the school I saw Chad. I squinted and saw him drop something into the fountain. I walked in closer to get a better look, even though I nearly ended up looking over his shoulder. When I did look into the fountain I saw that he had dropped the necklace he gave me. And something told me that wasn't the only heart who sunk to rock bottom. I took a deep breath and decided to let me presence be acknowledged. It was now or never.

"Chad can we talk?"

He turned and looked at me for a split second, then faced the fountain again.

"Chad please."

He just shook his head. "You told me not to talk to you, look at you, or think about you." he muttered.

He was right. I did say that. I did take my anger too far this time. I sighed and sat down on the fountain, maybe about a foot away or so from Chad, but I still faced him. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. This was going to be harder than I thought. "I never said anything about not listening to me." I said a couple of minutes later.

All Chad did was nod. he didn't say or do anything else.

"I'm sorry." were the first words that came out of my mouth. "I'm sorry about everything. About all those fights we used to have. And I'm especially sorry about everything I said tonight. I should have believed you."

I looked at him and he still said nothing. Why did he have to be so good at doing what I told him?

I turned to look at the necklace that was now at the bottom of the fountain. I reached in and slowly scooped it out. "This doesn't belong down there." I said. I looked at it, then at Chad. his eyes still weren't on me. I looked back at the necklace, then put it around my neck. "This is where it belongs."

Chad didn't even turn to see what I did. Does he know how much this was hurting to have him ignore me? Or at least make it feel that way?

I sighed, assuming I'd have no other choice. I rubbed my arm and looked away. "I've liked you since third grade." i admitted softly. I think from the corner of my eye I saw him look at me, but I wasn't entirely sure. "Remember when it was recess that one day and and it started raining really hard? I was on the monkey bars and there was a big pile of dirt under where I was hanging from. It started getting all muddy, and I lost my grip on the bars because they got so slippery. I fell into the small mud puddle and everyone laughed at me while they ran back in and none of the teachers did anything. But you came over and helped me out of the puddle, and then took off your sweat jacket and it on me. You ran inside after that, but you were the only one who stayed and helped me. And that's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

As soon as I looked at Chad he looked back at the made me feel even worse. I was on the verge of spilling everything out to him and it felt like he was tuning me out despite what I had told him earlier.

"I overheard you and Ryan talking earlier." I confessed, my voice nearly cracking. "you were saying all those things and how you felt...that you really did want to take me tonight. And that you liked me since grade three."

He nodded. Chad still didn't look at me, but at least he started talking. "I helped you that day because I felt like I owed you. There was that one day I forgot my lunch money and you split your lunch with me. And I thought it was really sweet. Especially since after that you always dropped a few Goldfish crackers on my desk during snack time when my mom packed me something healthy like an apple. I just figured that if I was always mean to you and argued then no one would suspect I liked you. I was ashamed of liking someone who I thought was a boring nerd when I was never supposed to be."

"And I always argued with you to hide my feelings and because you always had to start something with me." I added.

Chad turned and looked at me this time. "When I asked you out it wasn't cause of what Ami said. It was the last thing on my mind. I did wanna go with you. i wanted to impress you. And I wanted to make it a really great night."

"I guess neither of us has made it a great night." I replied quietly.

"Think we can fix that?" he asked.

I looked at Chad. "Only if you can forgive me for being a jerk and spilling my water on you."

"That's ok. I think it just likes getting wet so it stays in my face." he replied almost jokingly. At least I think it was a joke, because it made me giggle a little. Chad smiled and lifted my chin a little. "There's that smile."

I felt my face turn red again. Like it hasn't done that enough tonight. "You do have that effect."

"Yeah well you kinda have that effect on me too, Tay." he replied with a smile.

"I kind of like that." I admitted. "You called me Tay over the phone, too."

"That was sort of an accident." he said sheepishly.

"It's still a really nice nickname." I replied.

He moved in closer to me and reached for my hand, taking it in his. "Maybe I'll call you it more often."

"I'd really like that." I smiled.

"Tay it is then." he said smiling. "and my nickname?"

"I think we'll stick with just Chad." I teased.

"That's it?" he whined playfully.

"Unless you like something more like fuzzy bear." I replied innocently.

"Never mind." he said quickly, which had me giggling some the next thing I knew, he kissed me. It was a brief peck on the lips but it was still a kiss. I only got to return it briefly before he pulled away. I could see the pink in Chad's cheeks. I'm pretty sure mine were just as pink but I didn't care. The kiss may have been short but it was just perfect. Chad smiled in a goofy manner and stood up before helping me off the fountain.

"Ready to go back inside?" he asked. "The after-party's still going on and I owe you a dance."

"I think we have just enough time for one dance." I replied with a smile.

"Must be my lucky night." he smiled back as he held my hand and led me back inside.

But honestly, I didn't know if we did have enough time for one dance. and if I did miss my extended curfew I didn't care. Things had worked out between me and Chad. And I was more than happy about it. I suppose there is such a thing as a happy ending for everyone. And maybe there's a little bit of a girlie girl in all of us.

--change POV--change POv--change POV--

"Chad, you'd better hurry up! You'll be late picking up your date!"

I heard my dad call from downstairs. Oh man did he have to make me even more nervous? I mean it was one thing that I was going with the girl I wanted to, but it was another thing that the stupid cheerleader reminded me that I was practically forced to go with her. Why did I let myself get caught in that situation anyway? I kept wondering if Taylor was gonna find out. No...no, she wouldn't right? And even if she does she'll understand that it wasn't the reason I asked her out tonight, right? Ok I was a dead man walking. I just hope that Taylor never finds out. I like her, I really really like her. And I don't wanna mess things up on the first date. I know, it's pretty stupid. Me, Chad Danforth, never been on a date. It's not exactly something I like to broadcast. It's not that I'm afraid of commitment, it's just that I'm afraid of committing to the wrong girl. At least this time I know it's the right girl. Don't ask how I know, I just do. Even if it's just for the rest of high school I'll be lucky enough to spend that much time with Taylor.

I fixed my jacket a little before putting my wallet in my pants pocket and going down to my dad. "Alright, how do I look?"

"Like a million bucks." Dad chuckled.

"Really, cause I feel more like something the dog spit up." I replied. The whole dressing up thing, it's ot exactly what I do. It always feels weird to dress nicely instead of my usual casual look, y'know?

"The lucky girl's gonna be all over you." my dad told me. "I'm sure your mom wishes she could be here right now too."

Yeah, last minute business call. That's what happens with a lawyer in the family. "You recorded the championship game for her today didn't you?" I chuckled.

"Everything right down to half time." Dad replied.

I nodded. "Mom called earlier."

"She remind you to keep your pants on?" Dad joked.

"No." I said defensively. Then I muttered, "She reminded me to put them on."

My dad looked at me like he was freaking out. I knew exactly where this was going. "I'm very sorry you have to hear that."

"I know." I nodded. "anyway I'll be back when the after-party's done."

"Call me after you drop your little girlfriend off at home." Dad told me.

I groaned. "Dad, she's not my girlfriend." I walked out the front door and closed it behind me. "Yet." I added to myself. gotta keep the hopes up about that. Anyway I headed over to Taylor's house. It wasn't too far of a walk so I got there in a few minutes. I hoped I looked good enough. Maybe my hair still didn't look combed. Should I have put on some cologne?

"Oh Chad honey, come in!"

I looked over and saw Taylor's mom in the door almost as soon as I knocked. "Hi there, Ms. McKessie." I chuckled nervously.

"Come in, come in." she urged, practically pulling me in. "My, don't you look adorable!"

"Um...thank you." I said. Was her mom always this hyper?

"Oh you're very welcome. Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

"No thanks, I'm good." I shook my head. "I'm just here to pick up Taylor so we can go to the after-party."

"Right. It's a big deal, I heard. Very close game." Ms. McKessie said.

"Oh yeah. My dad recorded the entire game. As soon as my mom gets back from Chicago the first thing they're gonna do is put up some popcorn and watch the game a good three or four times." I said. "So um by any chance do you know if Taylor's ready yet?"

"Hold on just a minute, I'll go get her for you." she replied going up the stairs.

"Kay, thanks." I nodded. Ok...now I was left alone in their living room. What was I supposed to do? Guess I could play I spy with myself. Alright I spy something...couch. I mean white. Yeah, the couch is white. Ok I spy something....big which is a widescreen TV. Hm, maybe playing a one man game of I Spy wasn't the best idea. But I didn't even have to wait that long...at least I think I didn't. Cause not too long after that Ms. McKessie brought Taylor down. My eyes were probably ready to fall out of my face. I'm telling you, this girl looked gorgeous! Taylor, not her mom. I don't wanna date her mom. But you should see her! Her dress is just...wow! And her hair...so wow! And she's...wowity wow wow!

And guess what the first words that came out of my mouth were. "wow Taylor..." Yeah, not very articulate. Articulate's a word, right?

"I could always go change if this isn't good enough..." she started.

She was not seriously thinking of changing! Not with how amazing she looked tonight! "No, no. Not at all. It's just that...wow Taylor..."

I almost thought I saw Taylor's face turn red. When was the last time I got to witness that? "I'm fairly certain you already said that."

"I know. It's just that.... You look really amazing." I said. Hey it was the best I could come up with on such short notice.

"Thanks. You look pretty wow yourself." she told me.

I chuckled. I guess that must've been payback for me saying wow so many times by now. And thinking it. At least I wasn't the only one losing it. "Thanks."

"Alright, photo up. First date you know." Her mom said as she ran over with a camera.

"We really should be going...." Taylor seemed like she really wanted to get out of here.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind." I replied. Trust me, you have not known the definition of crazy mother until you met mine. She announced to the world when I have fresh clean boxers. Wait...you weren't supposed to know that!

"Are you sure?" Taylor asked looking at me.

"He's sure, he's sure." Ms. McKessie cut me off before I could say anything else. "Now come on you two, don't be shy. Scooch together."

Scooch? Who still says that? Well anyway me and Taylor sort of stood next to each other but I guess that wasn't good enough for her mom. She was practically dictating the entire photo. She was telling us how to stand, where to put our arms, where to look, how to stand.... Hm, maybe she's actually crazier than my mom. Who knew? Well needless to say it took a while before we looked just right for her. I tried to put on my nicest face. I mean, I wanted to impress Taylor tonight so I had to put up with her mom. Plus the sooner we get this picture taken the sooner we can get out of here.

"Oh come on, at least try to look at each other a little. Don't put all your attention on the camera." Ms. McKessie said as soon as we were good enough for the shot.

I turned my head and looked at Taylor trying to give my easiest smile. I would've given her my award winning smile but I guess it ran out the window before I walked into the house. Taylor turned her head to me a few seconds after I did. Aw, she was still red in the face. How adorable is that? No really, I mean it. She looks really good in red.

"Perfect!" her mom exclaimed. "Now just give smiles. Come on, smile for each other. And the camera."

I tried my best to put on my bestest widest smile right away. There now, that wasn't so hard. Taylor's smile was a lot softer but man! Her teeth are really white. Wait a minute, that's not what I'm supposed to be thinking when I look at a girl smiling. Hey does that mean I have bad breath? Oh man I totally have bad breath! I didn't brush my teeth enough times after having those chili burritos my dad made for dinner.

"Taylor Annabelle McKessie..." her mom interrupted my thoughts.

I looked at Taylor and she was trying to give an even better smile. Wow her mom's a perfectionist. So that's where she gets it from. And as soon as the picture was snapped, Taylor had to talk again.

"Can we go now mother? We're going to be late for the after-party."

That is so like Taylor. She's just so punctual. The girl never likes to be late for anything. Remind me that if I make it past this first date to get to the next date ten minutes early.

"Oh alright. Go and have yourselves a good time." Ms. McKessie told us.

"I'll be home by ten." Taylor said.

What, ten? That was so early! That gave us like what, three hours? Ok I'm not counting but it'd probably feel even shorter than three hours.

"Oh what the heck, make it eleven tonight." she replied with a huge smile.

Sweetness? Is it too early to ask for a boo-yeah? "Thanks Ms. M. I'll have her back on time." I said, I guess before Taylor could say anything. I led Taylor out of the house before she could even think about saying anything else. Wait a second...it was just me and Taylor now. On a date. I mean going to our date. Starting our date. Is the hole in the ozone layer making it hot out here, cause I'm almost ready to throw my shirt off!

"I'm…sorry about my mother." Taylor apologized. "She can be a little eccentric sometimes."

I smiled and shook my head. Like I said, I didn't have a problem with it. We've all gotta deal with a crazy mom at some point, right? "Don't worry about it. She's nice." I said.

"She…also happens to be excited that it's my first date." Taylor admitted.

This wasn't exactly something I wanted Taylor knowing, but I decided to go along with it and tell her. I mean, maybe I wouldn't seem like a total moron. And it wasn't like she was in this alone. "yours too, huh?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Here goes nothing. "The thing is…I sorta haven't been on a date before this either."

"I don't understand." Taylor shook her head. "Haven't you been…?"

Did she really think I was like that? No, I wasn't a player. I had to set things right. "I've never been on a date before. I guess I just never met a girl that I was into enough to ask them out."

Taylor seemed to understand that. I mean, I think she did with what she said next. "So…are you as nervous as I am?"

I nodded. "A little bit, yeah." Maybe now this would be the perfect time to do what I wanted to do. See, I had gotten something for Taylor to show her how much I really liked her. I was out searching for it since before I got home after the game today, especially after Ami reminded me the fake reason that I asked Taylor out in the first place. I mean the real reason, but it's not the reason that I really did ask her out. So I took a deep breath and pulled out a necklace I had in my pants pocket. "I um…sorta got this for you."

Taylor just stared at it in surprise. "What?"

Here goes nothing. Just let it all out Chad, let it all out. "I know that just saying sorry won't make up for all those years of torture I gave you with our fighting and everything. But I really am sorry and I hope that this can be a start to forgiving me."

I didn't even believe Taylor with what she said next. I almost thought she was gonna cry. But I don't know if it was the happy kind or the sad kind. "I do forgive you, Chad." She told me. You don't need a piece of jewelry to convince me to do that."

My face fell at that. So I did all that necklace hunting for no reason at all. "Well if you really don't want it…"

"I never said that." She said quickly.

I looked at Taylor and she had her mouth covered fast. I couldn't help but chuckle. Guess I should've expected something like that. "I thought you'd like it."

"Can you help me put it on please?" she asked running a hand through her hair.

"Of course." I smiled. I stood behind Taylor and took the necklace, then hooked it around her neck so it was lying perfectly. As soon as it was on I turned back to face her. The heart necklace looked so nice on her. "It looks really good on you."

I saw her put her hand over the necklace. I hope that meant she really did like it. "Thanks." She said. I'm taking that as a good thing.

"So, you ready to go?" I asked with a smile. I held out my arm so she could take it. Yeah, I was really gonna escort her to the after-party. Like I said I really wanted to impress Taylor. I think this was winning her over. I mean I wanted to be funny and myself but I also wanted her to know that there was more to me than that. I could be sophisticated and gentlemanly if I wanted to…I think. She seemed a little freaked by it at first, but we really got into it on our way there. Sure we had to beat the awkward silence first but I'm just gonna go ahead and guess that it's a typical part of any date. So once we got past that we started talking about her Decathlon. Normally I found it boring but I wanted to know more about it. And hey, she was willing to listen to my entire basketball story before. One thing I didn't like hearing about her competition was this weird stalkerish guy. I really hope we ran into him tonight. I'd like to give that guy a piece of my mind. Wait…that wouldn't impress Taylor. That'd give me a good slap in the face! Ok, I changed my mind. I don't wanna run into the creepy dude that's been bugging her.

When we got into the gym everyone was dancing, talking, or getting food. I would've liked to try and find the guys first but Taylor and I walked from her house to here. Maybe she was thirsty. Hey, I should ask! "Do you want anything to drink?" I wondered turning to her.

"Just some water, if it's not too much trouble?" she asked.

"Of course." I replied. I left Taylor there, hoping that one of her friends would go and talk to her. Besides there was a slight mob by the snack table and I didn't wanna lose her in that. I tried to edge my way around to the table, but then I was surprised to see Small Person behind the table handing out drinks from I guess a cooler behind the table or something with some other people. "Hey Small Person!"

"Kelsi." She corrected.

"I like Small Person." I shrugged.

"I'm good with nicknames." She agreed. I know this girl's usually as quiet as a mouse but we had to talk louder especially with the DJ and music almost right behind the table as well. "What do you need?"

"You got a bottle of water and a can of Coke back there?" I asked.

"Sure thing." She nodded. Small Person turned to get the drinks and handed them to me. "So I heard you guys won the game."

"Yeah. Troy made the last second shot. You should've seen it." I replied.

"Sorry. I was sort of cheering Gabriella and Taylor on at their competition. They were able to leave the room before the audience so that's why they got there before me." She said.

"That's cool. I heard they won, too." I said taking the drinks.

"Yeah. It was a real team effort." She replied. "So you took Taylor tonight?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Just gotta bring over her drink. We got here a few minutes ago. Did you come here with anyone?"

Small Person didn't look like she wanted to answer that right away. "Well there was someone…"

I raised an eyebrow. Guess quiet girls really can get crushes, too. "Who?"

"Just one of the guys on the basketball team. But he's here with someone else." She admitted.

"Party's just begun." I reminded her. "Give it time. You'll get your shot with him."

"Thanks." Small Person said with a shy smile.

"No problem." I smiled back. "I'm gonna get back to Taylor. Maybe I'll catch up with you and the guys later?"

"Definitely." She nodded.

"Cool." I said before trying to get out of the mob and back over to Taylor. I was almost there and saw her talking with Gabriella. I smirked. This would probably be a great time to sneak up on them. I was trying to be all spy like and I almost thought I had it….

"Hey Chad."

Oh man, Gabriella totally blew my cover! "You ruined my sneaky plan." I moaned playfully.

"Sorry." She apologized.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. Oh well, I guess I can't expect Gabs to keep a secret. Better not be sneaky when she's around. I turned to Taylor and gave her the bottle of water. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Taylor said taking it and opening it to take a sip.

"I'll leave you two alone then." Gabriella told us before walking away.

Payback time. "Have fun making out with Troy!" I called teasingly. I chuckled and turned to Taylor. She looked like she was trying really hard not to choke on her water. "They're not even gonna get in one kiss tonight."

"You interrupted something, didn't you?" she guessed.

"Just once…" I admitted opening my can. "But hey, it's what I do. They had it coming. What good is practically having a brother if you can't interrupt their first kiss?"

Taylor giggled. Ha, I was making her laugh! "you do not want to see your best friend happy do you?"

"Hey what's right is right." I shrugged my shoulders, then took a sip of my soda.

Taylor looked around the gym then back at me. "Hey, do you want to dance."

I shook my head. "I don't dance."

"Oh…" she replied. Taylor sounded so disappointed. Oh man is she gonna pull a puppy dog pout?

I just couldn't take it. "Maybe one dance later?"

"I'd really like that." She said with a smile.

I smiled too. I was back in business. "C'mon, I wanna try and find the guys. I'd like to show you off to them."

Taylor gasped. "Do you realize how degrading that is to women?"

"But you look so much prettier than all their dates." Ok I was complaining playfully and saying it innocently, but I was being honest. I didn't see a single girl prettier than Taylor in the room. "I just wanna rub it in their faces. Well, except for Troy's face. His face will probably be too busy looking at Gabriella's."

I almost thought she was gonna laugh again. "I suppose I can put my objections to that aside just for tonight."

"Works for me." I agreed before the two of us walked around the gym. It wasn't long before I saw Jason and Zeke. Jason had Ami practically attached to him and Zeke looked so lonely. "Hey guys."

"Hey man. You seen Sharpay anywhere?" Zeke asked right away. And here I thought he'd be saying something totally different. Yeah, you probably don't wanna know. Temporary dirty mind. No, I'm not kidding. In that mental image Zeke was covered in chocolate dirt and everything. That's how dirty it was. He'd need like five showers after that image.

"No…" I said instead. "Why do you even want the Ice Princess?"

"She said she'd go with me tonight but I can't find her anywhere." Zeke replied.

"Maybe she's fashionably late." Taylor suggested. "you know how Sharpay is."

"I guess so." He sighed.

I smiled and slipped my arm around Taylor. Good, she was getting along with one of my friends. I wanted that to work. I mean, I'd probably have to try and get along with some of her friends after that but I didn't care. I was so proud that Zeke was easily accepting of Taylor. At least there's one good guy in the group. Ok two good guys and a brainless jock…no offense to Jason. We just all say that about him.

"So I see you really went through with taking the nerd tonight."

Taylor and I looked over at Ami. Oh man, she wasn't gonna open her big mouth was she? Not here, not now!

"And I see you convinced Jason to take you." I blurt out before Taylor could say anything.

"Well it was part of the deal." Ami replied innocently.

"What deal?" Taylor raised an eyebrow at me.

I knew this wasn't gonna end good. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.

"Nothing." I said quickly.

"You mean he didn't tell you?" Ami giggled. I knew she was smirking. No cheerleader, don't say something you'll regret….

"Tell me what?" Taylor asked her.

I had to try and get Taylor away from her. Change the conversation topic. Something. "Nothing. There's nothing to tell."

"Oh don't play all innocent Chad." Ami told me. "I mean, you did do this to protect your reputation as jocks. Danielle and I were the ones who saw you, Zeke, and Jay-Jay getting ready to go to the science lab like the secret nerds you were."

"Jay-Jay?" I repeated. What the heck…?

"Met pet name." Jason muttered. Ouch. He has my sympathy.

"Hold on, will somebody please tell me what is going on?" Taylor insisted.

I knew she wasn't gonna like where this was going. But Ami just kept talking. "We saw Chad and his little posse on their way to the chemistry lab like the secret little nerds they are. Their little sporty reputations were going to be ruined if we actually spread the word around. So we decided to make a deal with them. If Jason went with me and Chad-"

"Ami don't." I warned her. She couldn't finished that. I didn't want her telling Taylor the rest of this. Taylor just couldn't know. I didn't wanna see the ending of this.

But did Ami listen? No, she had to finish what she started. "And Chad would take your little nerdy butt to the after-party. And he agreed."

I looked at Taylor. I couldn't even describe the look she had on her face right now. It was just...just plain hurt. She was probably hating me right now too. That's not what I wanted. I never wanted this. I wanted Taylor to be happy. I wanted her to be happy with me. But that chance was just thrown out the window. No, worse than thrown out the window. It was dropped off the Eiffel Tower, thrown across the ocean to New York, blown up in the Pentagon, then dropped to the bottom of the equator.

"Taylor wait!" I called, running after her as she ran out of the gym.

I don't know if this was a good or a bad thing, but she turned to face me. "Don't you dare talk to me." she snapped.

I know Taylor was upset but I had to fix things. I had to tell her what was going on. I had to let her know how I felt. "Tay I can explain..."

"Don't 'Tay' me!" she yelled. "You can't get out of this with some pet name. How could you do that to me?"

"Taylor can you please just listen to me?" I begged. "I didn't ask you out when I did because of what Ami said. That was the last thing on my mind when I asked you."

"Right, because I'm sure you actually did want to go with me." Taylor replied sarcastically.

"But that's it exactly!" I gasped. I don't care if she didn't believe me about that, I was being completely honest. It was true, even if no one ever believed it in movies when it was true.

"Wrong answer. Stop lying to me because I'm done with you." she shook her head.

I could tell she was still disappointed but we were so close. I wasn't gonna lose her now. "It's not a lie Tay. It never was. I really do like you. I like you a lot."

"Stop. Just stop." she insisted. Oh man Taylor...she almost sounded like she was gonna cry. I didn't wanna see that. Tay please don't.... "You know what, you just go find the girl you really wanted to ask tonight and go be with her. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. You don't talk to me, you don't look at me, you don't even think about me. I'm sure that's exactly what you want."

"No it's not. How could you say that?" I shook my head. "Taylor I want to be here with you tonight. I didn't wanna ask anyone else."

"Just get out of my life Chad. I mean it this time." Taylor said icily before not only spilling her water bottle on me, but storming off too. Yeah, my hair was now completely wet with water. I mean that part was no big deal, it'd dry off eventually. I could deal with being wet. But with Taylor leaving, and as angry and upset as she was.... I had no choice but to watch her go. I couldn't believe it. She was walking out of my life. Taylor hated my guts. She wanted nothing more to do with me. No, no, no!

"Well well well this is such a shame."

I turned to see Ami leaving the gym and coming out to me. "Don't feel so bad. I'm willing to bet Danielle really wanted to come with you. You should go ask her."

"Shut up. Just shut up!" I insisted. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"I think I just set everything pretty much the way it's supposed to be again." Ami said like it was no big deal.

"you're wrong. That's the last thing you did." I shook my head. "you wrecked my chances with a girl that I liked for a really long time. I worked hard to try and win her over as a friend and now it's all been flushed down the toilet cause you had to go open your big fat mouth. And you know what, I would've probably asked her tonight even if you didn't force me to. Because just like Troy likes a nerd, I like a nerd too. No forget nerd, I like the queen fo the nerds. And I don't care what you or anyone else has to say. And I know for a fact that Jason never wanted to go with you tonight in the first place. He likes someone else and we can all see it. So let the guy go and get a life. Cut us out of it and go take care of yourself. Cause just like I'm sure Jason will be done with you after tonight, I'm finished listening to you. So why don't you get out of my life while I wait about sixty-seven years for Taylor to get back into mine!"

I didn't even give her the chance to say anything else. I stormed away. I didn't know where I was going, I just knew I had to get away from there. I didn't wanna be anywhere near the after-party. No scratch that, I didn't wanna be near anything to remind me of the after-party. The only person I wanted to be near now was Taylor and she wasn't even gonna let me within ten feet of her. It was over before it even started. And to make matters worse Taylor didn't just yell at me to prove it. While I was looking all down and watching her leave, Taylor ripped the necklace I have her right off her neck. That had to be a clear sign she didn't want the littlest thing to do with me anymore. Cause now that was all I had to remember any time we had together by.

I ended up in the cafeteria. Yeah, probably the loneliest place ever tonight but I wasn't sure where else to go. I didn't wanna go home this early. It was barely even an hour. I think, anyway. Ok, i wasn't keeping track. I wasn't even sure how long I was just sitting in there twiddling my thumbs or fiddling with the necklace. I know neither of those would accomplish anything but I didn't know what else to do. Cut a guy some slack, please. I never even made it far enough with a girl past the first five minutes of a date before. Ok fine, you all know I never even made it to a date with a girl before tonight. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. If I went after Taylor then she'd ignore me for sure.

"Hey Chad."

I almost jumped when I heard someone else in the cafeteria. Wait a minute, I was supposed to be alone! Who would.... Oh, it's just Ryan. I turned to look at him, then back down to the necklace on the table.

"What do you want Captain Clueless?"

"I was just coming in here to see if anyone else was going solo." he replied.

Yeah like I really believed that. "I wasn't going solo. I'm just solo now."

"What happened?" Ryan asked sitting down.

"Wait a minute, when did I say you could sit down here?" I gasped.

"Sorry..." he said slowly.

I sighed. I wasn't trying to be mean. Yeah, I was really in a bad mood. I knew I couldn't take it out on anyone. Not even Ryan. "No, you can stay. I'm sorry, I'm just...just out of the loop I guess."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

I shook my head. "I came here with this really amazing girl who I liked for a really long time and I completely wrecked everything. One of the cheerleaders pretty much dared me to take her here tonight even though the entire time she was the only girl I wanted to go with."

Ryan sighed and nodded. "Don't worry, man. You're not the only one who isn't with the girl they wanted to be with tonight."

"You got girl trouble too, huh?" I asked.

"I uh...sort of wanted to go with Kelsi." he said.

I raised an eyebrow. Kelsi as in Small Person? He wanted to go with her? But she said the guy she wanted to go with was with someone else. Was I supposed to be confused?

"It doesn't matter anyway." Ryan shook his head. "I know she likes Jason."

So that's who she wanted to go with! "I know you're still pretty much Captain Clueless but who knows, maybe things are gonna turn around. It could be one of those temporary crushes or something."

"Yeah I guess it doesn't hurt to think that." Ryan said. "Besides I don't think my sister would let me date another girl besides Kelsi."

I chuckled. That was probably the only thing that would put me in the slightest good mood now. "Well at least you might still have a chance with your girl." I admitted my laughter dying.

"It's Taylor isn't it?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

"Sharpay always saw those kinds of looks you gave her. She's point them out to me all the time." Ryan answered.

"What?" I gasped.

"Well, she never told anyone. Sharpay may be a gossip queen but she's not totally heartless." Ryan shrugged.

I shook my head quickly. "I'll just take your word for it."

"Well can you fix things with Taylor?"

"I don't think so man. I liked her for a really long time. I thought this was gonna be my night. So much for that."

"The night's still young."

"Young, shmoung."

"Hey if there's one thing that working in the theater world taught me, nothing's over until the clock strikes midnight. And that's about what time the after-party ends isn't it?"

I shook my head, making a slight face. "Dude I think you watched way too many fairy tales when you were little."

"Forget who my sister is? She lived off those princess movies." Ryan stated. Oh yeah, good point.

"I've got till eleven." I replied.

"Then it's not over till the clock strikes double one's." he shrugged. "So what are you gonna do?"

I looked at my watch. "i don't know. Maybe I'll just go home and count my losses. Go outside and get some air, then take the short way home."

"Well good luck with that." he told me.

"Thanks." I muttered before getting up.

"One question?" Ryan asked as I was about to leave, which kinda made me turn back to him. "Any chance you could lay off the Captain Clueless?"

I thought for a minute. "Maybe if tonight somehow works out."

He didn't seem to blame me for that. "Catch the pumpkin carriage. Catch the pumpkin carriage." Ryan told me before walking out of the cafeteria.

What the heck was that supposed to mean? "But I don't like pumpkins! They give me a rash!" I covered my mouth. See this is what happens when I'm all down in the dumps. I say things I'm not supposed to. Like how my hair only looks its best when my mom combs it before I go to school. Dang it! See what I mean? Oh what's the use? I sighed heavily and just left the cafeteria. Maybe I should just clear my head for a few minutes before heading home and explaining to my dad what happened. Without all the messy details. I usually think best when I'm around water so I went out the front doors of the school and over to the fountain. I sat on the edge of it and just stared at the water. First thing's first: water is not blue. Why do they always make it blue in cartoons? This water is clear. A little dirty, but clear. Well I guess the dirt that got in there kinda gives it a brown tint, but it's mostly clear. You know what I mean. Wait, what was I gonna do?

I turned my head to look at the necklace in my hands. Oh yeah, I think I knew what I wanted to do. Or what I should do. I just took the necklace and dropped it in the water. Yeah, just float...float...ok now sink...sink...keep sinking. Yup, right down there to the bottom. Sorry necklace, I guess that's where you belong now. Maybe someone will see you and actually wanna pick you up. Cause obviously I don't have much use for you anymore.

"Chad can we talk?"

I turned my head almost jumping at the sound of the voice. It sounded like Taylor and for a minute I thought I was going crazy. But as soon as I saw her I turned my head back to the water. I wasn't supposed to look at her, talk to her, or think about her. Why was she even bothering talking to me? Taylor hated my guts.

"Chad please."

I don't know why she was so insistent. I mean, I wanted to talk to her. I desperately did. But I wasn't supposed to. "You told me not to talk to you. Or look at you. Or think about you." I reminded her quietly, hoping I wouldn't get a slap for that.

I could see from the corner of my eye that she was sitting down on the fountain. I mean it's not that I was looking at her, i just happened to notice. And Taylor wasn't really sitting next to me, it was more like a couple of feet away. "I never said you couldn't listen to me." she replied.

I guess she did have a point. But I still didn't say anything. I just gave a nod.

"I'm sorry." she told me. "I'm sorry about everything. About all those fights we used to have. And I'm especially sorry about everything I said tonight. I should have believed you."

Yeah, she should have. But I wasn't gonna hold that against Taylor. I couldn't say I blamed her or I heard her move her hand in the water or something.

"This doesn't belong down there. This is where it belongs." she said.

My first guess was that she was putting the necklace back on, but I wasn't expecting her to. She hated my guts. I wanted everything to do with her but she wanted nothing to do with me. Why would Taylor even want the necklace now? But what really threw me off was what she said next.

"I've liked you since third grade." Taylor confessed. And I knew she meant it. I only turned my head slightly to look at her, but I didn't need to. I knew from her voice she was telling the truth. It was just the way she said it. But when I looked at her she wasn't looking at me. What did I do now? "Remember when it was recess that one day and and it started raining really hard? I was on the monkey bars and there was a big pile of dirt under where I was hanging from. It started getting all muddy, and I lost my grip on the bars because they got so slippery. I fell into the small mud puddle and everyone laughed at me while they ran back in and none of the teachers did anything. But you came over and helped me out of the puddle, and then took off your sweat jacket and it on me. You ran inside after that, but you were the only one who stayed and helped me. That' the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

I listened to every word Taylor said. I never knew that. I mean, I guess I had helped her that day cause I sorta liked her. I remembered it perfectly. And I know even then we hated each others' guts but ever since then...I don't know. It was just one of those stupid ways to cover up feelings. And I don't even know why Taylor looked so hurt now. I was listening to her. I knew exactly what she was talking about. Why was she looking at me right now like I wasn't paying any attention?

"I overheard you and Ryan talking earlier. You were saying all those things and how you felt...that you really did want to take me tonight. And that you liked me since grade three." I could hear her voice cracking as she said that. The last thing I wanted was for her to cry, especially in front of me and because of me. I never mentioned directly to Ryan that I liked Taylor since third grade but I guess it was obvious. I mean that was around the time that I started completely biting her head off to hide everything and when she started doing the same thing to me. I didn't even need to say it. But I knew there was something I did need to say. I turned my head away from Taylor cause i wasn't sure how she was gonna react to this.

"I helped you that day because I felt like I owed you. There was that one day I forgot my lunch money and you split your lunch with me. And I thought it was really sweet. Especially since after that you always dropped a few Goldfish crackers on my desk during snack time when my mom packed me something healthy like an apple. I just figured that if I was always mean to you and argued then no one would suspect I liked you. I was ashamed of liking someone who I thought was a boring nerd when I was never supposed to be." Ok yes, I hated apples. Yes, Taylor was the only person besides Troy who'd split their lunch with me when I forgot my money. Alright she technically only did that once, but I'm almost willing to bet that if Troy hadn't helped me out all those other times then Taylor would have because she was a nice girl who cared about other people. I mean yeah, we're all selfish sometimes, but I know that she always means well and just cares about other peoples' well beings.

"And I always argued with you to hide my feelings. And because you always had to pick a fight with me." Taylor continued.

Yeah I guess that was true too. But no more lies. No more beating around the bush. It was time to be honest. Like a hundred and twenty-five percent honest. I turned to face Taylor and looked at her directly in the eyes. "When I asked you out it wasn't cause of what Ami said. It was the last thing on my mind. I did wanna go with you. I wanted to impress you. And I wanted tonight to be really special."

"I guess neither of us made it a great night." she said quietly.

I looked at the ground, then back at Taylor. "Do you think we can fix that?"

"Only if you can forgive me for being a jerk and spilling my water all over you." she replied looking at me.

Come on Chad, now's your chance to win her back. Make her laugh. "That's ok. My hair just enjoys getting wet so it can stick to my face." I joked. I smiled when I saw her giggle. Yes, it was working. And she had a smile back on, too! Oh man please tell me this is working out. Things cannot get screwed up again. "There's that smile." Yeah, corny I know. But I really did like her smile.

"You do have that effect." she said blushing. Still cute.

"You kinda have that effect on me too, Tay." I smiled.

"And I kind of like that. You called me Tay over the phone when you called me, too." Taylor said.

Now my face was turning red. I knew she caught that. I just thought she'd hate it. "That was kind of by accident."

"But it is a really nice nickname." she replied.

Guess that means the accident was a good thing. I know I was taking a bit of a risk here, but I knew something was heating up between us. And I didn't want it to stop. I ended up taking the next move and reaching to take her hand. She let me take it and I held it. I liked it. And it wasn't when our hands sorta accidentally touched in the cafeteria when we were trying to figure out what to do about Troy and Gabriella. We were holding hands on purpose. I liked this feeling.

"Maybe I'll call you that more often."

That made her smile. "I'd really like that."

"Tay it is then." I said with a smile. I was really getting into it now. "So then what's my nickname?"

She giggled. I like her laugh, too. Did I mention that yet? "I think we'll still with Chad."

"That's it?" I whined playfully.

"Unless you'd prefer something like Fuzzy Bear." Taylor said ever so innocently. i'm not joking, that's really how she said it.

Wait a minute, did she say Fuzzy Bear? No, no, no. I do not look like a teddy bear. Chocolate cotton candy on a human body, alright maybe in a cartoon, but not a fuzzy teddy bear. "Never mind." I said quickly.

That made Taylor giggle again. I couldn't help but just smile at her. I was just getting this feeling watching her. Like we were supposed to do something. I felt myself leaning in towards her, but I was thinking in the back of my mind that Troy would pop up any minute to interrupt as revenge for what I did to him and Gabs earlier. So I interrupted one little kiss. Big deal - I could interrupt plenty more of their kisses later on whenever they tried that. But this...I didn't want this to be interrupted. Maybe I should just get it over with. But wouldn't you know it, in the middle of all my thinking I did end up kissing Taylor. I'm in shock about it, too. Let me repeat that for you. I ended up kissing Taylor. Ok one more time so it can really sink in and so I can really feel the heat and excitement from it. I'm kissing Taylor! And what made it even better - she kissed me back! Ok yeah, the kiss was short but it was so worth it. Cause when we pulled away we were both smiling and red and just looking at each other.... Oh man, first date and first kiss all in the same night. If I am dreaming then please, no one pinch me!

Oh wait, better say something so i don't seem like a total goofball. "Ready to go back in?" I asked standing up. "I believe I still owe you a dance."

"I think we have just enough time for one." Taylor said with a smile.

I smiled and remembered what I said to her earlier. I said it was her lucky day cause she had a date with me. But you know something? "Must be my lucky day." I helped her off the fountain and we walked back into the school hand in hand. This was wrapping up so nicely. The school's all together, everything's working out between everyone, we've got ourselves a triple victory, and I got my dream girl. But there was just still one thing on my mind that I couldn't help but smile about. I couldn't help it, I just had to ask.

"So...your middle name's Annabelle, huh?"

* * *

Yeah, that's the end of it. ^^' Couldn't really think of what else to say here, I mean it's the end of the story so what else is there to say? XD I've been planning for this chapter so much since I started and like the rest of the story there's a good few different ways it could have happened. And the way that I typed up is the one that after a week is still stuck in my head so I really hope it turned out as well as it did in my head. No really, I do mean that, because my head is so scatterbrained inside. I think there's a walnut sized brain jumping around in there. lol So once again thank you, thank you, and thank you for enjoying the story. And you know what, I'm giving a shout-out to all the reviewers in here cause you all had such nice stuff to say.  
**Digigirl02:** You write the simplest things in your reviews and I absolutely love that because just reading 'I liked it' or 'great chapter' is really one of the things that pushes me to keep going with a story. Very friendly comments and very encouraging. C=  
**Xo-kween-dilemma-xo:**I'm guessing that you were loving this story. lol I don't care if it's just one chapter or one scene that you love or any one thing of it, I'm just glad to know that you loved it and never missed a chance to say so! ^^  
**Iheartchad andtaylor:**I know your review was all the way back in the first chapter and I really hope you've still been keeping in touch with the story. I've read your reviews on other stories that I have and like everyone else's they are so encouraging and it's one more reason to keep on writing. (:  
**ChaylorTwilightQueen10: **lol always so nice to hear from you. Very encouraging as everyone else is and very entertaining to read your reviews. Especially when you mention something specific in the chapter like how funny Jason is I think back to the scene and then I start laughing about it. Always gotta keep the humor with Jason and Chad right? XD Hope you keep on reading and I'm looking forward to your stories as well!  
**RamandusDaughter23: **The one thing I will always remember you saying in your reviews is "Chaylor Rules" and I have to say you're absolutely right! I love reading that at the end of your reviews. Very encouraging, as usual and always enjoying something that one of the characters does. So...what color crowns did we say Chad and Taylor were having, purple and gold? 8)  
**Chayler lover: **Did you really think I would stop writing the story after the middle chapter? lol Sorry, couldn't resist asking! But how did you know I was going to write about the after party anyway? Psychic! And very happy to know you're enjoying this and another story as well. =D  
**RockyShadow:** You alwyas give such insightful reviews and you point out something specific you like and why it's good or just name the little things about each part that you like. I really enjoy reading them especially when you point out things that I don't even notice in my writing right away. Thank you very much! ^_^ I really hope you're able to continue your Reunion at the Zoo story soon and that you're able to add the next chapters whenever you can.  
**LetsJustSing:** I know you only reviewed once and it was just a suggestion for the story, and I thank you for the suggestion, but this story only focused around the first movie. But I have read a nice oneshot about that scene and a nice chapter about it for a story that has been done centering around the deleted scenes in HSM3. But trust me, I try to picture what's going on with those swings every time I watched HSM3.  
**Lilmissmonique:** I'm guessing that you loved the story as well from the reviews. lol So to that I saw thank you very much for the love of the story...if that even made any sense. XDDD Yeah, attempting to be funny over here.  
**Chaylorxtraylorlover101:** Like everyone else, I love hearing from your reviews. Just the fact that you say you like or love a chapter is one of the reasons I do continue stories. Always good to hear 'I liked it' or 'I loved it'. c:  
**Hsm rocks:** Glad that you've been loving the chapters and everything that's been going on.I really hope that this chapter and all the others that took forever to write were woth the way. C=  
**Hsm lover:** Sorry for the wait of all the chapters but the updates have all eventually come and I really hope they were all as enjoyable as the previous updates. n_n  
**HSM:** I know the suspense was well...suspenseful so I don't know what else to say except thanks for dealing with the suspense. xD  
**Sharpy:** Thanks for your suggestion for that one chapter about it being long as opposed to short. I think I went with it being long, even though it was so long ago I don't remember now, but hopefully this chapter was at least long enough if nothing else was. lol I'm glad you enjoyed this chapters and I hope you enjoyed the story overall.  
**Mzwendy85:** I do enjoy hearing from you and I do like the positive reviews you give saying you like it and usually one thing you enjoy in the chapter. Always nice to hear from you and can't wait to hear more! =3

Thank you once again to everyone! Stay tuned for more stories and maybe I'll come up with another version of this story, just maybe. Depends if I have another idea and if you guys would want to read it. There is still a poll on my profile to decide the next story as soon as I am done with Beauty and the Beast. Not many votes have been casted yet and there's currently a tie between two stories. Feel free to vote, and the poll will be up for probably two more weeks. Hope to hear from everyone once again! And once again, thank you for enjoying this story. Big hugs to everyone! C=


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